Abstract:

Blue crab megalopae were collected at six sites within Terrebonne Bay, Louisiana, every 24 hours for four consecutive days in 2014 and 2015. Water quality parameters (salinity, dissolved oxygen, water temperature, and chlorophyll a) were recorded at each site.

Suggested Citation:

Robinson, Elizabeth, Rabalais, Nancy N.. 2019. Megalopal blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) settlement in Terrebonne Bay, Louisiana from 2014-08-12 to 2015-08-28. Distributed by: GRIIDC, Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. doi:10.7266/n7-j21b-zb89

Purpose:

To determine how residual oil effects the settlement of megalopal blue crabs.

Data Parameters and Units:

Site: User-defined identifier assigned to the six sampling sites; Latitude: Latitude of the sampling site in decimal degrees; Longitude: Longitude of the sampling site in decimal degrees; Collection Date (MM/DD/YYYY): Date of data collection; Year (YYYY): Year of data collection; Replicate: sampling replicates taken at each site (1, 2, 3); Site Classification: User-defined classification of the site at the beginning of the project, in regards to possible Macondo oil exposure (unoiled or oiled). Salinity (ppt): water quality variable; Water Temperature (deg C): water quality variable; Dissolved Oxygen (mg l-1): water quality variable; Chlorophyll a (µg l-1): water quality variable; Megalopal Crabs: Number of megalopal blue crab individuals collected.

Methods:

Megalopal crabs were collected at each site using cylindrical, wire-mesh traps covered in air conditioning mesh (surface area = 619 cm2). Collectors were tied to a buoy and slid over a 1.8-m PVC pole located within 5 meters from the marsh edge. Replicate traps were deployed greater than 10 meters away from each other. Traps were recovered to collect crabs every 24 hours.

Instruments:

A YSI 6820 Sonde was used to determine water quality data.

Individual Files: