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 packed with.
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.
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.
You don’t need to tie the crabs if you don’t want to, but they will be easier to pack in the cooler.
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.
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.
Don’t try to force the crabs close together since you could stress them and cause them to die.
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.
Never cook crabs if you don’t know when they died since they’re more likely to cause food poisoning.
You will need to feed the crabs frozen shrimp or seaweed from a pet supply store in order for them to survive.
