A recirculating system avoids the problems of poor quality river water, but it requires more complicated filters and aerators. For many shedders that means plenty of new ways to foul up and kill crabs. The crab shedding industry in Maryland is small, unlicensed and largely conservative when it comes to closed systems. There are probably fewer than 500 operators in the state, according to most estimates by state seafood specialists, and very few are using recirculating systems. In Virginia, which requires a shedding license, there are 400 crab shedders and about 100 are using closed systems.
Nobody wants to be the guinea pig.
During the past decade, however, more watermen have opted to be guinea pigs in an ongoing experiment in technical outreach that seems to be slowly changing the crab shedding industry. Through trial and error, through teaching and technical correction, scientists and specialists and commercial crab shedders are now creating closed systems that work - and work cheaply. Before building his crab shed Barnette spent a lot of time tinkering with recirculating systems set up at the UMES and watching the work of aquaculture technician Connie Williams and aquaculture researcher Steven Hughes of the Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. Other watermen have been taking workshops and consulting with extension specialists like Don Webster with Maryland Sea Grant Extension. Driving the watermen is a profit motive and a survival motive.