Blue Crab Threats

Female blue crabs lay 600,000-8 million eggs at one time. By definition, an ecosystem is all the living things and nonliving things that live in a specific area or environment and interact with each other. The Neritic Zone is located on the continental shelf. Much of sea life lives in this zone because it has well-oxygenated water, low water pressure, and a stable temperature. The Neritic zone goes down 200 meters or 656 feet. Like most animals, the blue crab’s ecosystem affects all the things in their lives, whether it be their adaptations or environmental threats that they face in their day to day lives.

To begin, the blue crab 's ecosystem, the neritic zone, affects the adaptations it needs to survive in areas like the Chesapeake Bay. Deep

Another thing that effects the blue crab 's ecosystem is its environmental threats. To begin, one of the environmental threats that blue crabs face is pollution. In the text, it states, “Approximately 6.4 million tons of plastic and other debris enter the oceans each year. And every year., more than 1 million marine animals die from eating or getting caught in this debris,” (Dignan 13). This shows that an environmental threat that blue crabs face is pollution because if about 1 million animals are dying each year because of pollution, we have a serious problem. ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Furthermore, another ecological hazard that this incredible animal faces is fishing and it’s equipment. According to the text, “Modern fishing methods have created some serious problems for the ocean. The populations of almost all fish species that we eat have shrunken,”(Dignan 14). This proves that another environmental threat that blue crabs faces are fishing because they may not be a type of fish, but, like most crabs, they are fished, caught and sold. This allows overfishing to be a problem. Not to mention, another environmental threat that this fascinating animal, the blue crab, faces is climate change. Corresponding with the text, “Climate change is another major threat to life in the oceans. Warming ocean waters, rising sea levels, and violent storms disrupt the lives of many species and affect fragile marine ecosystems,” (Digan 14). This confirms that another ecological peril that this fascinating animal, the blue crab, faces is climate change because the blue crab resides mainly in the Chesapeake Bay. They are threatened by climate change as it creeps closer like a cat stalking its