Photo of the Week

We are excited to bring back our Photo of the Week section so stay tuned for new content coming soon! In the meantime, take a look at these fantastic pictures from our teachers.

Bag of Tagged Blue Crabs

August 16, 2021
Female blue crabs tagged as part of a student research study conducted during TAS ’17 Melissa Barker’s mission aboard NOAA Ship Oregon II.

Photo: Helen Olmi

Helen, who is part of the night shift, attends University of Southern Mississippi and is part of the Gulf Coast Research Lab. She is part of a team that is looking at migration patterns and reproductive behavior of female Blue Crabs (Callinectes sapidus). She tags female crabs and if fishermen find them they call in to report the location. Female Blue Crabs mate after their terminal molt and collect sperm in sac-like receptacles to use later to fertilize their eggs. When ready to spawn, the females move lower in the estuary into saltier waters. Blue Crabs are the most common edible crab so it is important to continue to monitor the health of the population in the Gulf.
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29 photos for Gulf of Mexico · Clear

Bag of Tagged Blue CrabsAugust 16, 2021This Earth Week, Celebrate BiodiversityApril 19, 2021Observations from the Western GulfFebruary 1, 2021Angelfish We Have Held on HighDecember 23, 2019Blue Crabs of TexasFebruary 25, 2019The 2019 Teacher at Sea Application deadline is Friday!November 26, 2018Little marine life can survive in the Gulf of Mexico’s seasonal hypoxic (low-oxygen) “dead zones.” This shark-eye snail was an exception.July 10, 2018A “Squadron” of Pelicans!July 2, 2018More Than One Way to Survey FishApril 9, 2018Fish Tails and Fish TalesOctober 16, 2017Lionfish OverloadJuly 31, 2017Trawl the Livelong DayJuly 10, 2017
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