Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-07-13
rhc Soft Shell Crab Passing.

Many heart will hcave sigh" when
Il il learned that the delicious soft shell
crabs that were one OF the epicurean Joys
that came from Delaware and the Eastern
Shore, finally have joined the high cost oi
living procession, having reached inc
highest price to which they have evef
attained. The quotation, day or Two
ago at Crisfeld was $2.75 dozen. 'us'
as they came from the water, the large
and small, good, bad OF indneren'
Naturally the extreme scarcity OF .he
cr,,staceans is the reason for the neT
record price, which probably Will never
be any lower in the future. Maryland
has endeavored by restrictive Legislation
TO save the crab from extinction, but 'nu'
far she seems TO have been unable TO per-
haps only prolong its passing, ana u"
delicious products of the peninsula waters
are on the way to join the terrapin anu
the shad and other products of our rivers
and the sea that are reaching the disap-
pearing point.
All who have eaten the Delaware sou
shelled crab cooked in Delaware ki'cheh,
vii, regret almost with tears, it's going ana
will do,bly mourn that there is nothine
half so good to take its place. The soI'
shell crab served as an ever accep'ap''
feature of the menu whether tor "eooins
feast n luncheon or an every day arucie
of diet. The crab was abundant peyono
all belief that some day it might even pe
sc,rce and to have predicted thirty years
AGO that the price would jump to twenty
and twenty-five cents apiece would naVe
brought derision to one who ventured on
mch prophesy Not so long ago, hnes''
largest and fittest crabs were to be mao ioi
one or two cents apiece, or one oo''Ai !"
crate.
They were so plentiful that they were
woefully wasted with the Inevitaoie ie''n'
that they are becoming extinct ana pei
haps in years will be SO rare as 70 pe ie
| parded with curiosity. =,
The disappearing Of the crao WIN
| cause the whole nation to mourn hese
babitats of Delaware waters have peeh
eaten by epicures of every State who nave
rated them as food fit for kings. Even ms
other .elf-the hard shell crabs eoi,p
too He. in cans, has been shipped 70 al
most every country. and brought oach
orders for more. Indeed the crab has been
,a- source Of revenue TO the Peninsuia
and a constant joy TO those who appreoia'e
the pifts of the best of goodthngs 70 eat
The hard crabs were destroyed by 'ne
tons of thousands in earlier days py tns
fishermen who used them for bait OF iof
h,,e IN attract the devouring schooi in"
tbe;r nets Boatloads after boatloads were
broken into bait for almost each naui' ''''
destruction being almost beyond compo'a
ton. II was crime.
III tragic TO watch the disappearance
of the food fishes from the "aVeis =
delaware and the Peninsula without lh'
slightest cooperation on oH par' 70 '>''
them The shad have almost gone ~heie
as twenty years ago they fairly swarrneo =
o,,r waters. the herring also are passihe
A few wears ago there were more 'i,A'
s7 oOo taken at one haul IN the Ieia
ware CITY canal Terrapn 700 nav
practically all passed away; they were >
numerous that they sold for one ooiiaf
c.rt load. crabs once so numerous swarm
81 IN all waters of the lower part OF D'eia
ware. =,
Other States suffering similarly IN 'h
r,rtailment Of the food fish supply nav
taten action-belated to be sure-to II
store the precious fish, but Deia"a,
seems TO stand helplessly and hopeless
rrr,oved There are half dozen gov
ernors ready to cooperate in the eonserVa
t;o, of the food fishes, and are wiling
answer an invitation from this State 70
conference where the matter may
taken up and scientifically oonsldere'
, Every one who has gwen thought al all
, the nroblem comedies that the co-oper'
tion of the States bordering on the a
, Iar+;c Coast is essential to bring succe'
70 the movement. We hope Delawar
through Governor Townsend, may TAI
such action as will identify the State WI
!. the initiative In the undertaking