Blue Crab Movement in Coastal South Carolina, 1958-59

Abstract

In 1958 and 1959, 4,353 blue crabs of 5 inches or greater carapace width were tagged in three estuaries and at two coastal locations in South Carolina to determine coastal movement. Locations of 530 returns indicate that most of the crabs did not migrate between estuaries, but limited their movement between the lower estuary and adjacent coastal waters. It was concluded, at least for South Carolina, that management measures can probably be confined to individual estuarine systems rather than large coastal regions.