Percent escapements of blue crabs, Callinectes sapidus, by size and sex were determined for commercially available
38.1 mm square and hexagonal meshes and for five experimental squares. Commercial trap mesh sizes retained excessive numbers of sublegal blue crabs. Based on the
criteria of maximizing sublegal crab escapement without an unacceptable loss of legal blue crabs, the 44.4 mm square (as measured from the inside of adjacent corners) was optimum and superior to either trap mesh used by fishermen