Motion and heat are the biggest factors affecting the Blue Crabs mortality. The only real indicator to determine the freshness of the Blue Crab is the smell. Blue Crabs that have a distinct ammonia odor should not be served. Blue Crab that have perished but have no odor are still fresh enough to eat. A much-debuted measure of freshness is firmness and texture.
Firmness is debated because it can be influenced by temperature.
T he best way to store a soft-shell crab is in cool, moist packaging. Wet newspaper and straw have all been used to maintain the moisture content. If the product is to be held live it will be important to store it in a 50-degree temperature. If the product is to be held as fresh, standard coolers of 36-degrees are acceptable. Holding live crab at 36-degrees will ultimately kill the product and move it to the fresh category.