Crustaceans - Marine Arthropods

The Crustacean Fisheries group is responsible for providing information on blue crab, stone crab, shrimp, and horseshoe crab fisheries in Florida.

Blue Crabs
Callinectes sapidus, "tasty, beautiful swimmers," are common throughout Florida. Blue crabs are popular in both recreational and commercial fisheries.

Horseshoe Crabs
Horseshoe crabs are important to both coastal communities and human health. Their eggs are an essential source of food for migratory shorebirds and some fish species.

Lobster
The Spiny Lobster program is responsible for monitoring and developing models of South Florida's spiny lobster populations and for conducting research on spiny lobsters.

Shrimp
Scientists in the Crustacean Fisheries program are determining the effectiveness of bycatch-reduction devices in shrimp trawls and are using genetic techniques to determine the stock structure of wild shrimp stocks in Florida.

Stone Crabs
Two stone crab species are found in Florida. They are closely related, readily interbreed, and are managed as one species by the fishing industry.

Glossary of Crustacean Terms
Check the crustacean glossary for definitions of terms used in our articles and elsewhere.