Did you know that a parasite called dinoflagellate Hematodinium sp. causes one of the most common diseases in Florida blue crabs, known as “bitter crab”?

We didn’t either until we got talking to the FWC blue crab research team tasked with learning more about the health of Florida’s blue crabs!

It turns out that this parasite has significant effects on blue crabs during stressful environmental events, such as high salinity and high temperature. To understand and manage the fishery properly, it is critical to understand the prevalence and role this disease has on natural mortality and fishery dynamics.

Part of the FWC’s research involves catching blue crabs to study, and anyone that has ever done any crabbing knows that it is a messy business, with fouled-up crab traps inflicting some pretty heavy abuse on boat decks.

To remedy the situation for the researchers, we made a custom SeaDek kit for their research vessel utilizing SeaDek HD, a new material with a rugged outer skin that is perfect for commercial applications and hard-wearing areas.

SeaDek HD features a tetrapod texture for great traction and our standard 3M pressure sensitive adhesive for easy peel-and-stick application. Currently, it is available in 5mm single color Storm Gray and Black, or as an 8mm (5mm over 3mm) laminate with any of our standard available colors on the bottom. The FWC’s research boat features 8mm Storm Gray over Bimini Blue.

Do you have a place for SeaDek HD on your boat? Click here to locate your nearest SeaDek Certified Fabricator or Installer or contact us at customerservice@seadek.com or 321-632-4466 to learn more!