Effect of Salinity and Dissolved Oxygen on Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus) Size in Blackbird Creek, Delaware  Daivik Arora1, Jackie Maina2, and and Gulnihal Ozbay2, Ph.D. 1The Charter School of Wilmington1, Wilmington, DE 2Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Delaware State University, Dover, DE Blue crabs are a keystone species in the Delaware bay and are an important source of revenue. However, due to overfishing and water pollution, the crab population has declined significantly, going from 800 million in 1990 to 200 million in 2008 in the Mid-Atlantic region. Water quality changes can be linked to the development of low oxygen areas called dead zones in the feeding areas of the crabs, diminishing their food sources. Higher salinity levels in crab habitat has been associated with larger crabs due to its significance in shell development where calcium carbonate is the main component of the exoskeletons. In this research project, the effect of salinity and dissolved oxygen on crab size was determined using monthly water monitoring data from 2017 and 2020. The study was carried out in Blackbird Creek, Delaware, and 5 sites were identified based on dominant marsh vegetation and salinity gradient. The water quality testing was carried out using the YSI 556 multiprobe sensor and crab sampling was conducted using crab traps and trawling method. 108 crabs were used in this study. Carapace width was determined using calipers. The highest salinity average was recorded in site 1 (5.8 ppt) and the lowest average in site 5 (3.6 ppt). Dissolved oxygen had the highest mean in site 1 (6.6 mg/L) and the lowest mean in site 3 (5.6 mg/L). The largest carapace width average was at site 1 (113.1 mm), while the smallest width average was found in site 4 (94.2 mm). The preliminary results indicate that the largest crabs were from site 1, suggesting a positive relationship between salinity and crab size. These results contribute to the existing knowledge base on salinity and dissolved oxygen influence on blue crabs. Continued monitoring would provide more conclusive insight regarding applicability to blue crab management. Keywords: Dissolved oxygen, Salinity, Blue crab, Carapace, Blackbird Creek Acknowledgements: We acknowledge USDA NIFA Capacity Building Grant Awards# 2016-06642 and 2016-06476 for funding my internship and the project as part of the student experiential learning goal and the Project Director, Dr. Gulnihal Ozbay, and the Project Director, Dr. Shobha Sriharan, respectively for providing this internship opportunity.

Effect of Salinity and Dissolved Oxygen on Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus) Size in Blackbird Creek, Delaware

Posters - Pre-College

poster

Welcome to Delaware State University’s Annual Summer Research Symposium, and thank you for attending! Our symposium represents the culmination of students’ summer experiences in research at Delaware State University. This event showcases the work of college students working on faculty-led research projects, as well as middle and high school students experiencing research for the first time working in research groups. Whatever the case, this summer has been a unique experience for the students, and we hope a transformative one. Even for students who are not planning a career in scientific research, their summer experience has given them skills they will draw on for years to come. 
 Please join us on the mainstage and in Gather for the live event, and visit the recorded poster presentations any time.
 The student participants and organizers of the various summer programs at DSU would like to thank all of the research mentors who guided our summer program participants. There were many DSU faculty, graduate students, and other research and program staff who gave their time and energy to help our students have a fun and educational summer experience. Without their generosity and patience these summer programs would not be possible.
 For the research participants, we hope that you will maintain contact with your research mentors and colleagues. Science is a relatively small community made up of disciplinary “neighborhoods”. If you continue to work in a discipline, the other folks in that discipline will be like your neighbors that you run into regularly. Staying in contact with them will help you keep up with the news of the neighborhood, and open doors to educational and career opportunities. Whether you continue in science or take a different career path, for this summer you have been part of the world of research, and you will benefit from that perspective for the rest of your life.

Please register for the DSU Summer Research Symposium 2021 to be able to access the content.  
If you have already registered, please login with the same email you used to registered for the Conference.

DSU Summer Research Symposium 2021

Welcome to Delaware State University’s Annual Summer Research Symposium, and thank you for attending!

Daivik Arora

1

2

SHORT BIO

Presentations

Effect of Salinity and Dissolved Oxygen on Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus) Size in Blackbird Creek, Delaware

Stay up to date with the latest Underline news!

PRESENTATIONS

CONFERENCES

COMPANY

RESOURCES