Unusual blue crab caught in the Chesapeake Bay
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A blue crab with two oysters attached by its eyes was found in a crab pot off Tangier Island, Va. (CBF Staff)
A Tangier Island waterman recently pulled an unusual crab from the Chesapeake Bay.
Mayor James “Ooker” Eskridge, a full-time waterman discovered a two-year old blue crab with two six-month old oysters growing on its shell.
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation is calling this unusual siting a “Turducken” of sorts, as it “combines two of the Bay's most beloved critters,” blue crabs and oysters.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The foundation says while finding oysters on living blue crabs isn’t rare, it is rare for the oysters to grow to that size. They say this unusual critter represents a larger issue within the bay.
“Baby oysters, called spat, need a hard surface to attach onto and grow. The ideal surface are old oyster shells and oyster reefs,” the foundation said. “However, after decades of pollution, disease, and overharvesting, the Bay's native oyster population is a small fraction of its previous size.”
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation is currently working to resurrect the Bay’s native oyster population.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}This story originally appeared on FOXBaltimore.com.