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.
These paddles usually rotate at 20 to 40 revolutions per minute, but they quickly disappear into a blur as the animal darts away. Walking is accomplished with the three pair of thin walking legs. Blue crabs almost always walk sideways clearing a path with their sharp lateral spines. The blue crab's most prominent features are the large and powerful claws which are used for food gathering, defense, digging and sexual displays. If not handled properly, blue crabs can inflict severe injury.