The Batten School & VIMS campus will be closed on Monday, March 15 due to the National Weather Service prediction for severe weather including periods of rain, damaging winds and the potential for tornadoes.

- About
- With 500+ faculty, staff and students and three campus locations, the Batten School & VIMS are equipped to tackle pressing challenges through research, education and advisory service.
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- Research & Advisory
- Purple marsh crabs are significantly disrupting carbon cycling in salt marshes along the East Coast of the U.S., according to a study led by Batten School & VIMS scientists.
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- Batten School
- The R. Todd Stravitz Scholars Program will provide full tuition support for students pursuing the new bachelor’s degree in coastal & marine sciences at the Batten School & VIMS.
  
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- Engage
- Popular, free camps enable rising third through eighth graders to learn about the Chesapeake Bay, coastal ecosystems and environmental stewardship.
  
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- News & Events
- National TRAP Program funds large-scale cleanup of discarded fishing gear, first round of subawards totaling more than $1.4M supports 11 projects focused on removing derelict fishing gear from coastal waters in nine U.S. states and Palau.
  
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- Giving
- As an expression of parental pride in their daughter, Taylor Spencer ‘83 and Martha Spencer recently established an undergraduate field research endowment at the Batten School & VIMS.
  
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Molluscan Publications - Blue Crab

Harding, J.M., Southworth, M.J., & Mann, R. 2010. Observations of blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus, Rathbun, 1896) on Shell Bar oyster reef, Great Wicomico River, Virginia, USA. Journal of Shellfish Research.Vol. 29, No. 4, 995–1004.
https://doi.org/10.2983/035.029.0435

Harding, J.M. & R. Mann. 2010. Observations of distribution, size, and sex ratio of mature blue crabs Callinectes sapidus Rathbun 1896 from a Chesapeake Bay tributary in relation to oyster habitat and environmental factors. Bulletin of Marine Science. 86(1):75-91. https://doi.org/10.2983/035.029.0435

Harding, J.M. 2003. Predation by blue crabs, Callinectes sapidus, on rapa whelks, Rapana venosa: possible natural controls for an invasive species? Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. 297(2): 161-177.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2003.07.005

Eggleston, D. 1990. Foraging behavior of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, on juvenile oysters, Crassostrea virginica: effects of prey density and size. Bull. Mar. Sci. 46:62-82. https://scholarworks.wm.edu/handle/internal/17485