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How Do I Build a Live Box for Blue Crabs?

The blue crab is a delicate shallow-water crustacean that is enthusiastically harvested commercially and for recreation along America's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Building a live box to store them (short-term only) after harvest is very simple. Harvested blue crabs should be kept cool, damp and well-spaced. After time, they tend to damage themselves and their peers in the quest for escape and nutrition.

Things You'll Need

Spacious, aerated container(s)
Plastic or mesh fabric
Wire container cover
Safety gloves
Ice
1 cup native water

Instructions

- 1
  For land-based containment of harvested blue crabs, select a container that prevents escape and provides freedom of movement. Crabs clamor for escape routes when captured and can break off their own limbs in panic.
- 2
  Select a wooden crate, wicker basket or plastic tub (preferably more horizontal than vertical) and inspect or modify for maximum airflow. Blue crabs can drown in too much water and suffocate without enough air.
- 3
  Line blue crab live boxes made of wide-space crates with perforated plastic or mesh fabric to prevent escape and rapid spoilage.
- 4
  Girdle the desired live box with a same- or similar-sized container of ice to keep the perishable harvest cool and comfortable. Live blue crabs go still under extreme cold conditions; the true sign of revival (and that they are safe to consume) is when their limbs resume flexing.
- 5
  For water-based containment of harvested blue crabs, follow Step 1 with the addition of adding a floatation apparatus (i.e. capped PVC pipe).

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