A new kind of crab has begun to invade the Chesapeake Bay, and it isn’t the kind we enjoy making our crab cakes with!
The “zombie crab” or loxo parasite has begun to take over the Chesapeake Bay and has begun to terrorize the black fingered mud crabs that have already called the bay their home. About 50 years ago, the loxo was first found within the Chesapeake Bay, but the parasite wasn’t causing much trouble. Now, scientists and researchers are finding several areas throughout the bay dealing with a high concentration of the crablike parasite, with some areas dealing with an infection rate close to fifty percent. It is believed that loxo found its way to the Chesapeake Bay on the shells of oysters from the Gulf of Mexico during oyster restoration attempts.
While this tiny creature may not seem like a serious problem, but what it can do to other crabs within the bay is much worse. When they infect another crab, they essentially kill the genes within the crab. While the creature is still alive, they are no longer to reproduce. The Chesapeake Bay Parasite Project has recently been established to help researchers gain a better understanding of the creature and how they can prevent more crabs from becoming infected. The project is continuing to use an array of research and study methods to determine how the parasites interact with the crabs and what scientists can do to help prevent these zombie crabs from infecting any more of the Chesapeake Bay and its creatures.
Not sure how to cook your crab cakes? Here are your steps!
- For 8-10 minutes, preheat your over at a temperature of 425 degrees.
- Use a pan without grease, using only a small amount of butter or water to cook your crab cakes on.
- Cook crab cakes for about 20 minutes, depending on your oven. Crab cakes should be firm and have a golden brown top with an internal temperature of 145 degrees.
Located in Abingdon, Maryland, our crab cakes are available year round and can be ordered online to be shipped straight to your front door. Order online here or call us at (410)-515-3662. If you ever have any questions or comments about Box Hill or our Maryland crab cakes, use our contact form here.
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Source:
http://www.chesapeakebay.net/blog
Order Today!Tags: Chesapeake Bay, zombie crab