The document provides instructions for transporting live crabs in a foam cooler. Key steps include sorting out any crabs with damaged shells, cutting between claws to prevent pinching, rinsing crabs with salt water, tying claws against bodies, making air holes in the cooler, lining the bottom with freezer packs, alternating layers of crabs and styrofoam with a damp burlap cover, and checking on crabs within 24 hours to remove any that have died during transport. The goal is to keep the crabs moist and separated to reduce stress and maximize survival during transport.
2. Crabs are delicious shellfish that have tender meat, but
it can start spoiling soon after the crabs die.
Luckily, all types of crab can briefly live outside of
water, so you can easily transport them in a foam cooler
to have fresh meat.
Make sure you only travel with healthy crabs and tie
their claws so they don’t fight one another.
Use a foam cooler with air holes cut in the sides so the
crabs can still get oxygen to survive.
Introduction:
3. Sorting and Tying the Crabs
Sort out any crabs that have
damaged or soft shells.
•Sort out any crabs that have damaged or soft
shells.
Inspect the crabs’ bodies and look for any pieces of
shell that are cracked or broken.
Lightly push on the top of their shells to make sure
there aren’t any areas that feel soft to the touch.
If you find crabs that have broken or soft shells,
either put them back in the water or throw them
away.
•Crabs with damaged or soft shells usually do not
survive transport since they are weaker than the
other crabs.
•Don’t transport crabs that are already dead since
they can contaminate the other crabs they’re
4. Cut between the crabs’ claws with
a sharp knife to prevent pinching
Wrap your non dominant hand around the base
of the crab’s claw and hold it tightly so it doesn’t
move around.
Put the blade of a sharp knife between the
pincers and make a 1⁄2 in (1.3 cm) cut straight
down toward the middle of the claw.
Repeat the process on the other claw so the crab
can’t use its claws as effectively.
This is normally done for brown crabs, but it
works with any species.
Wear rubber gloves while you’re cutting between
the crabs’ claws since they may try to pinch you.
Tip: If you have trouble getting the blade
between the pincers, use a wedge-shaped piece
of metal, also known as a nicking bar, to pry and
hold them open.
5. Rinse the crabs with salt water so
they don’t bleed out.
Cutting between the crabs’ claws can cause them
to bleed, but cold water creates a clot and keeps
them alive.
Put the crabs directly in a tank or live well with
cold salt water and leave them there until you
notice the bleeding stops.
Leave the crab in the water until you’re ready to
tie and pack it so it’s more likely to survive the
trip.
if a crab doesn’t stop bleeding, then you won’t be
able to transport it safely.
•You can also fill a bottle with salt water and
pour it over the claws if you aren’t able to fully
submerge them.
6. Tie the claws against the crabs’
bodies to keep them from moving
around.
•Use a piece of twine that’s about 2–3 feet (0.61–
0.91 m) long and wrap it around where the claws
meet the bottom of the crab’s body.
• Guide the twine between the pincers on each
claw, and pull tightly so the claws press against
the front of the crab’s body and don’t move
around.
Loop the ends of the twine around the backmost
legs on each side of the crab’s body and tie an
overhand knot.
Repeat the process for the rest of the crabs.
You don’t need to tie the crabs if you don’t want
to, but they will be easier to pack in the cooler.
7. Packing the Cooler
Make 3–4 holes that are 1 in (2.5
cm) on the sides of a foam cooler.
• Get a foam cooler that’s large enough to hold all of your
crabs, which will depend on the species and sizes you
have.
•Draw 3–4 dots on each side of the cooler so they’re evenly
spaced apart.
•Use a drill to make holes going through the foam so air
can flow through the cooler.
•Increase the size of the holes with a file or rasp until
they’re about 1 inch (2.5 cm) in diameter.
•You can buy foam coolers at many outdoor supply or
hardware stores.
•Avoid using coolers with hard bodies since they won’t
allow air to travel through them.
•You may also use a wooden box or wicker basket if you
don’t want to drill holes in a cooler.
8. Line the bottom of the cooler with
gel freezer packs.
•Use standard freezer packs or cooling blocks that you
would normally use for lunchboxes or cold storage.
•Make sure the bottom of the cooler is completely
lined with the packs so the temperatures stay
consistent through the duration of the trip.
•You can also make your own freezer packs by filling
plastic bags with wet sawdust and freezing them.
•Wrap the gel packs foil or plastic wrap if you don’t
want them getting dirty from the crabs.
Warning: Avoid using ice since it will melt and harm
the crabs if they’re submerged.
9. Lay the crabs with their backs
face-up inside the cooler.
•Gently set the first crab in the cooler so it’s
pressed against one of the inside walls.
•Hold the crab in place so it doesn’t try to walk
around while you put the next crab in the cooler.
Carefully move the second crab so it’s right next
to the first one so they aren’t able to move
around.
Continue putting the crabs in a single layer on
the bottom of the cooler until you can’t fit any
more.
•Don’t try to force the crabs close together since
you could stress them and cause them to die.
10. Put a piece of Styrofoam between
each layer of crabs to keep them
separated.
•Use a piece of Styrofoam that’s
about 1⁄2 inch (1.3 cm) thick and 1 inch
(2.5 cm) shorter than the cooler on each side.
•Set the piece of Styrofoam directly on the
first layer of crabs before starting a new
layer.
•Alternate layers of crabs and Styrofoam
until you fill the cooler.
•Don’t stack the crabs directly on one
another since they could damage the shells.
•Make sure there’s space between the ends
of the Styrofoam and the walls of the cooler
so air can flow between the layers.
11. Cover the cooler with burlap
damp with salt water to keep the
crabs moist.
Wet a large piece of burlap in saltwater and
wring it out completely so it isn’t dripping
wet.
Lay the burlap over the entire cooler to help
trap moisture inside so the crabs don’t dry out
during transport.
Put the cooler’s lid on top of the burlap so it
stays in place without falling off
12. Storing the Crabs
Leave the crabs in the cooler for
up to 24 hours.
Since crabs have gills inside their bodies, they will
stay moist longer even if the shell’s feel dry to the
touch.
Try to move the crabs as quickly as possible to
reduce the chances of them dying or spoiling.
After about 1 day in the cooler, the crabs will start
drying out and die if left unattended.
Variation: If you need to transport the crabs for
more than 24 hours, fill a tank with salt water and
install an aerator to keep the water oxygenated
during travel.
The crabs will survive as long as you keep them in
clean water and feed them.
13. Remove any crabs that have died
or gotten damaged during
transport.
•Open the cooler and carefully remove the crabs
one at a time.
•Look for crabs that have lost limbs, look limp, or
give off a foul odor and throw them away as soon
as possible.
•Don’t leave any crabs that have died in the
container since they could affect the other crabs.
•Never cook crabs if you don’t know when they
died since they’re more likely to cause food
poisoning.
14. Transfer the crabs to an aerated
saltwater tank if you want to keep
them alive.
•If you don’t plan on cooking the crabs right
away, fill a large tank that’s safe for crabs with
saltwater that has 30–35% salinity.
• Install an aerator on the tank so there’s oxygen
in the water for the crabs.
•Slowly dip the crabs in the water so they can
adjust to the temperature before letting them go
in the tank.
•Maintain the tank at 40–50 °F (4–10 °C) so the
crabs can live comfortably until you’re ready to
use them.
•You will need to feed the crabs frozen shrimp
or seaweed from a pet supply store in order for
them to survive.