It is part of the female crab gauntlet in the commercial sector. Because of peeler pots, where a male is put out in the bait chamber and the females are attracted to them to mate, large numbers of pre-reproductive females are removed to the shedder/soft crab industry. Also trotliners catch a lot of doublers with peeler females and those go to the soft crab industry too. The population-level adverse impact of the peeler/softcrab industry, which became much more widespread in recent decades, has never been fully analyzed or seriously factored into the stock assessment. If the females make it thru the peeler stage and get fertilized, they are then harvested as hardshell sooks before they have a chance to spawn. There is a lot of commercial harvest pressure on female blue crabs.
Because peelers don't feed, the males seek out refuge areas for the molt to hide from predators. Using a seine or roller net in grass beds you may find male peelers and soft crabs, and sometimes you can scrape them off dock pilings.
Because peelers don't feed, the males seek out refuge areas for the molt to hide from predators. Using a seine or roller net in grass beds you may find male peelers and soft crabs, and sometimes you can scrape them off dock pilings.
