WRIC Richmond News and Weather - Chesapeake Bay Crabs Visit Richmond
Member Center:
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - A briny visitor from the Chesapeake Bay is making a visit up the James River and the waters that run through downtown Richmond.
When the river gets low, blue crabs often migrate up the James. Fisheries director Gary Martel says the state Department of Game and Inland Fisheries is getting calls these days from people who are wading into the James and finding the clawed creatures.
Michael Seebo of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science says the crabs may come to the river looking for freshwater clams to eat or for the higher oxygen levels found in rapidly moving water.
The state allows catches of up to a bushel a day, provided you're not selling them. Health officials suggest cooking them sufficiently to kill bacteria.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
