P is for Pea Crab.
“You may find a small crab inside of an oyster. They are called pea crabs, which may live inside an oyster for their whole life. A pea crab gets food from the oyster and can be eaten with the oyster. It is considered good luck to find and eat a pea crab!”
That is one of 26 fascinating factoids that readers of the new book “ABCs of Oystering on the Chesapeake Bay” will learn. The book by two local educators is set for publication on Tuesday.
The book’s author, Susan Swift, said that the letter P is her favorite description.
The book’s artist, Heather Cockrell, said her favorite illustration is for “O is for Oystermen.” Her artwork shows a waterman and their basset hound, Fred. Her husband, Nick, is an engineer on one of Ocean Harvester’s fish boats.
This is the second book in a series by the two friends and educators. The first was “ABCs of Crabbing on the Chesapeake Bay,” published in July 2024. A third book, “ABCs of Menhaden Fishing on the Chesapeake Bay,” is plann...