Blue Crab Glossary -- L-P
Lick -- Describes dredging for crabs. Dredge is drawn across the bottom to catch wintering crabs or summer soft shells.
Megalopa -- Final larval stage between zoea and crab stage.
Mustard -- Yellow substance in a cooked crab under the carapace. Has a strong taste and is part of the crab's digestive system.
Nicking or Breaking a Crab -- Break a moveable finger of the claws to prevent their use.
Paper Shell -- A crab past the soft shell stage but not yet a buckram. Approximately 9 to 12 hours after the molt.
Peeler Crab -- Hard crab that has a fully formed soft shell beneath. A red sign crab.
Pink Sign (Rim) Crab -- Following the white sign condition. A thin pink line along the inner border of the back fin (paddle) about 1 week before molt.
*Information courtesy of the University of Delaware Sea Grant Marine Advisory Service.
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