Despite its fearsome appearance and aggressive nature, the blue crab is greatly cherished in the South Carolina lowcountry.
Many gourmets prefer the blue crab's sweet meat over all other locally-caught seafood.
This interesting animal is often sought by recreational fishermen and it also supports a considerable commercial fishery. The blue crab requires both inshore brackish waters and high salinity ocean waters to complete its life cycle. They are common from Massachusetts to Texas and a few have been reported as far north as Nova Scotia and as far south as Uruguay. The Chesapeake Bay, North Carolina and Louisiana support the largest blue crab fisheries. Swimming is accomplished by skulling the oar-like fifth pair of legs, the swimming legs.