Shelly the crab feared that pollution in the Chesapeake Bay would wipe out the crab population. She asked her friend Candon for help cleaning up the bay. Candon gathered other crabs to help remove trash and debris. They disposed of garbage and brought nets and cages left by humans to the docks to show the pollution's harms. A puffer fish thanked the crabs for their work and suggested they be called the Blue Crabs, and the name stuck as they continued their efforts to restore the bay's health.

1. How the Blue Crabs Got Their Name
Moral: It takes teamwork to accomplish your goal
Not a long time ago, when the pollution in the Chesapeake Bay was worsening, a
crab named Shelly was getting nervous. Shelly feared the crab population would be
wiped out by the contamination in the water. After some thought, she decided to go to her
friend, Candon for help. After all, Candon was very understanding.
“Candon, I need your help.” Shelly said.
Candon replied, “Why do you need my help?”
“I have been noticing signs that the Bay is unhealthy. I have heard stories about
animals caught up in trash. Also, all the wild rice is dieing, and that is a sign of the
Chesapeake Bay’s pollution! I need your help, and fast!”
Candon said enthusiastically, “I’ll go get my friends, and we will help clean the
bay.”
The next few days Candon and Shelly gathered crabs to help clean the
Chesapeake Bay. They cut pieces of trash up with their pinchers, and disposed of the
decomposable garbage in the compost pile. Old crabbing nets lay around everywhere and
lots of crabbing cages too, so they carried them to the docks for the people to see. They
needed to let the humans know how much harm they had caused in the past twenty-five
years. Since then, the crab population had gone down more than 50%! The crabs couldn’t
get rid of the PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyl) because it was a chemical that was
widespread. They would need people from all over the Chesapeake Bay to work together
to get rid of the PCBs.
One day a puffer fish came up to Shelly and the crabs. “Thank you so much for
cleaning the bay. My cousin was recently choked in a piece of trash, and died. It means a
lot to me that you are cleaning the Chesapeake Bay. I know! You and your group of crabs
should be called the Blue Crabs! I will encourage others to “go blue”!”
The crabs continued to clean up the bay. They promoted others to help them and
restore the Chesapeake Bay’s health. The Blue Crabs continue to fight against pollution.
That is how the Blue Crabs got their name.