GLOUCESTER POINT, Va. – A new study from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science showed that a species of parasitic worm has done more than co-evolve with the crab to withstand salty and freshwaters. It’s also proving to be a helpful tool to manage the Chesapeake Bay’s blue crab population. Published in July, the study comes at a time when the blue crab population has fallen to its second lowest level in 35 years, and researchers are hungry for clues.
These tiny parasitic worms find safety in the dark, crowded egg sponges of female blue crabs. As they feast on the eggs, they transform from white and small to larger, pink worms. Despite camping out in the sponges, research has shown that they don’t eat enough eggs to hinder blue crab reproduction.
This transformation and colocation have made the worms a biomarker that helps researchers to track whether a female blue crab has reproduced. The presence of white worms means there are no eggs to eat because the crab hasn’t reproduced yet. The pink ones mean that reproduction has occurred…