Blue Crab Tethering in the Rhode River, Maryland, USA

This study provides a relative indicator of predation intensity on blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) and to determine how it varies in space and time at various scales for crabs of various sizes. The data include several subsets for specific experiments using tethering methods, including long-term data for annual variation in predation rates during summer. These data were collected in the Rhode River, a 485-hectare, mesohaline subestuary (maximum depth 5m) of Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, USA. Tethering experiments were conducted on a bottom consisting of sandy sediment (80% medium sand, 20% fine silt and clay) near shore grading to muddy substrate (98% fine silt and clay) in 3-m deep water 50 m offshore.