great pond

Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus) Introduction: From anecdotal evidence, the population of blue crabs in the Great Ponds is highly variable over time. This is true for most locations where this crab is found. Unfortunately, there are no hard local statistics available on the population or harvest. This crab is found primarily from Cape Cod southward although in mild years it will be found off the Maine Coast and even in Nova Scotia. A large amount of research on the crab has been done for the Chesapeake Bay area and in the coastal embayments further south along the western Atlantic Ocean and in the Gulf of Mexico. The Chesapeake Bay probably serves as a good basic model for identifying the factors that affect the crab population from year to year because of its distinctly estuarine nature, similar water temperature and proximity to the Vineyard.