The Washington times., 1915-11-05
.SOF FT:SHELL CRABS
DOOMED, SAY EXPERTS
Careless Laws Blamed for
Wholesale Destruction Of
Famous Summer DeIicacy.

NEW YORK. Nov. S.-Gourmeta. who
hail the summer because It usually
brings the deiec;abic soft-shell crab into
see son are alarmed over the possible
disappea rance of that delicacy from res
taurant bills Of fare. or at least It's re-
tsntion at prices which. except to the
rich. must be prohibitive. In Mary
land, where the catching and shipment
Of soft shell crabs has become an Inn
portant industry In the last ten years,
and has made fortunes In Crisheid the
center Of the crab business. the alarm
is acute. The crab is threatened with
extinction.
The Che.apeake Bay e the nss Eres;e st
the world, and there the American crab.
n different creature from the shellfsh
of the same name that Is taken from
bury produces few in proportion to the
great area Of water that is almost en-
circled by Maryland and Virginia.
swepson Earle. engineer of the MARY
land shellfsh commission, estimates
that the annual value OF the catch In
the Chesapeake runs into millions OF
dollars. This profitable industry Is
the lack Of protective legislation, and
because Of the difference In the wsy
MARYLAND and Virginia attempt to regu-
late the fishing in such portions Of the
great bay as come under their respec-
tive jurisdictions.
Virginia has pursued q selfish policy
in fishery legislation. while Maryland
has been mistakenly liberal, or else
laws have left loopholcs which make
their enforcement next to impossible.
The boundary between the. two States
IL the low water mark on the seuth
side OF the Potomac river. Yet for
many years MARYLAND has allowed
Virginia to use the whole river in
common with its own citizens. Vir-
sinia has given nothing In return.
No resident of Maryland may fsh
In Virginia waters under penalty OF
ment of the commander of the vessel
breaking the VirEinia law. No rest
dent OF Maryland may even hold stock
IN a fsh factory In virginia. that in
stitutton. so numerous and so odori-
ferrous. for the extraction OF oil iron,
the menhaden or alewife. Recently
the n.enhaden has deserted the lower
C,hesapeske for the upper bay. To cir
OF Virginia fishing steamers make
over their nets for q nominal sum to
resident of Maryland. pay him so
much a thousand on the catch. and
land waters.
During. recent. visit to lower
MMsrylSnd; Mary Gorrespondent of the
New York Times was told that this
middle Chesapeake had been less than
20 per cent Of what It bad been for
the corresponding period last year.
ne eaten last year was much less
sons takings have been shrinking
each year. ever since the Fishermen
OF Hampton, Va, have been dredging
IN, ahe crab breeding grounds in the
The crabs seek warmer water IN the
winter. ana from the upper and middle
Chesapeake. they swarm to the shoals
OF the lower bay when the cold comes,
ior mere there Is little danger ., .no
no are familiar with the crab industry
estimate that FULLY 20 per cent of tho
crabs ON the shoals are females. Years
ago no MarSlander woulu eat female
CRABS; which were always thrown over
measure. but because they were not re-
garGed as eood to eat. One finds these
crabs ON sale In New York markets.
sSme esteem them of a better, flavor
The crab grows by shedding its shell,
there eng six phases In its life. which
ere repeated until the shelifish is full
grown: First. there Is the .hard crab.
Next somes me inot,' In which the IN
Next Ses SGs tse see'! nsss Is beginning to form.
shell is complets. When the hard shell
begins to separate at the back, we have
is.noa the "6ustsr.' ter and then from the shell
the water. and then the shell begins to
harden. Most crabs served in New
York restaurants. In the writer's ex-
( per ence, are crabs OF the sixth stage.
III" paper shell" II is only the actual
soft crab that every particle can be
eaten. after the necessary cleaning has
| been done. To reach the New York
market as real soft crab. the shellfish
| mrst be shi iEped fr,m Cfisdeld as .
peeler or u buster.
Now the young crabs are born In the
southern bay, scatter to the various
parts OF the great sea sprin; and
flock up the rivers. where they are
sought as a means OF livelihood Whole
communities In Maryland enlage in
crab fishing In the months when there
IL no ~" and the oys;ar Is not to be
caught under the law. The mouth OF
the Patuxent. for instance. has become
one OF the great sources OF supply for
the Crisfield market and three big
gasolene boats have been employed in
collecting from the one field the sup
piles gathered In by LOCAL commission
merchants from men and boys who nave
searched every morning, every foot OF
shallow water for miles up the river
and the numerous creeks.
The crabmen say the Hampton crab
dnedgers are responsible. They dredge
the Virginia shoals In the winter,
gather In recklessiy crabs OF every
size, break up the spawning and ruin
the beds. That Is why there were so
few crabs this year, and why eyery
person in Maryland who Is dependent
on the crab industry is hoping that
Congress will step in next winter to
extend to the crab the protection that