The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-06-07
SOFT SHELL CRABS.
Over a Thousand Men Employed in
the Fisheries.
Millions Handled in a season-How
They Are Caught and Sent to Mar
ket-The Shedding Process.

ket-The Shedding" Process.
From the Washington Star.
The season of the soft-shell crab is wei
opened ana the markets of New York,
Philadelphia, Washington and Baltimore
are flooded with the most toothsome of
the summers table daitnies. The soft
shell crab is distinctly an eastern
product and one of purely east
ern consumption; because the crab
IS so delicate that it is impossible
to ship him with safety any great dis
tance. The oyster can be shipped in
cans to the Pacific coast or to any inte-
rior point; and in fact oysters have been
planted along the coast of Washington
and California until now the western
oyster industry is of some Importance.
But the soft-shell crab is adelicacy which
penetrates only a short distance INTO the
interior. 1t Is chief article of diet in all
eastern cities, however, ana particularly
at the summer resorts, and one of which
western visitors carry pleasant memories
to their homes.
The soft crab occurs on the Atlantic
coast all the way from Massachusetts to
Mexico, and is abundant also in Chesa-
peake bay and as far up the tributary
chief crab fishery is at Crisheld on
Chesapeake bay, gust opposite the mouth
OF the Potomac river. Here more than
l,OOO men are engaged in fishing for the
crabs from May TO October, their total
catch being more than 5000 000 crabs.
The value of the industry to the fisher
men is more than 100000 in a season.
There are other crab fisheries in the
upper Chesapeake, in Indian river Del
aware. and in tho &hraxVs hi,,,, and
rivers in New Jersey. But no one of
these at all compares in Importance with
Lhe Crlsheld fishery. In fact, all of them
put together are of far less value.
THE SHORT SEASON.
Although the oyster is of more interest
In the winter than the soft crab, the crab
blng industry would be valuable the year
round If the crabs could be had But from
October to May the crab retires to the
deeper waters, where he remains half
buried in the mud until the return of
warmer weather draws him to the shoal
waters near the shore. But the oyster
industry keeps the fishermen of Crisfeld
busy during the winter months. In fact,
the hshlng for crabs was taken up as a
means of filling in the time when oysters
were not in demand, and il is only within
the last fifteen years that the industry
has grown to large proportions and that
the soft crab has become an articleof gem
eral use in all the cities of the east.
The soft crab is not always soft crab.
Technically he is the blue or edible crab
and still more technically he is the CALI
nectes hastatus Ordway The soft crab
is soft crab only when he sheds his
81 ell. When he is very young he sheds it
frequently. AS he grows older he sheds
only once or twice year AS he is Of COM
merclal value only when he is soft, it is of
some Importance to the fishermen that he
be captured at a time when he has Just
shed his shell, or is preparing TO do So
When the crab is preparing to moult and
his shell Is loOsening, he is known to the
fishermen Of Crlsneld as "Comer,n
long conner" or short conner" When
his shell has begun to crack, ne is called
a "peeler - "shedder'' or buster" ac-
cOrdingto the fancy of the fisherman.
The 'peeler'' is known in other localities
but the conner is known by that title
only to Crisheld
MUST BE HANDLED AT ONCE.
Unless the crab is taken in hand imme-
diately after moulting he becomes a hard
crab, and the hard crab has not the mar
ket value of his soft brother. The ex-
perienced fisherman will quietly tell what
stage of development the club is in. AS
fast as the crabs are brought in from the
fishery they are placed in floats and there
they remain until they shed their shells.
The best time for catching the crabs is
just after daybreak. The fishermen of
Crisheld believe that the crabs are much
more active during the night than during
the day, and they make their start for the
fisheries Just at dawn. II is not uncom-
mon for q crab fisherman to make his en-
tire catch before breakfast Certainly
he catches more at that period than he
does during the later hours of the day.
All of the fishing is done in small boats Of
an average value of, perhaps, $40 Usually
the boat carries but one person, but some
times it is large enough to have q crew of
two or three. The boat chiefly in use is a
small sail boat known in the Vernacular
of the Chesapeake region as a Runner,
the local corruption of canoe" The
industry is carried on by individuals on
their own account. Most of the fisher
men use dredge or scrape, which re-
sembles somewhat the OYSTER
dredge 1t is lighter, however, and
is provided with pocket of netting
Some few of the boats use dip nets. The
dredges are attached to the sides of the
boats by long ropes If a stiff breeze is
blowing the boat is brought well up to
the wind or put under reefed sails and
the dredge is thrown overheard and al
lowed to drag along the bottom. At in
teryals the boat is brought to. when the
dredge is drawn up and emptied on a
board. Then the crabs are separated bv
hand from the mass of mud and grass
which has come up with them. Where
the dip net is used the fishermen pole
through the shoal water and dip up the
crabs one at time as they are seen.
THE PRICE FOR CRABS.
Each of the small boats will average
scventy-tive to a hundred crabs in a dav.
These are sold for cash to the shippers.
whose sheds line the shore As the crabs
are brought in the dealers count them,
separating the soft crabs, the "short
comers' and the "long Corners. " and paw
ing for them according to market value.
The price received by the fisherman
varies from / = cents to 2 cents for each
crab.
The soft crabs are separated from those
which have yet to shed, and are prepared
for immediate shipment. The ''sheddcrs'
are carried TO floats. These floats are
made Of light planks, and their sides are
latticed. Each of them holds about 800
or 400 crabs. These floats are visited
three or four times day, and the crabs
that have shed are taken out for ship
ment. The crates in which they are
packed for market are provided with
trays In these the crabs are placed be-
tween layers of crushed ice and sea-
weed. The capacity of each crate is
about 100 crabs. The soft crabs can be
packed very closely, because when their
legs have been folded and their bodies