Evening star., 1936-08-23
Saving Chesapeake Grab

soon reach a length of inches. On
the last molting they grow another 2
inches, which takes them into ma
| turity. Then they are big enough to
be captured From that period on
usually to the last of July-the upper
bay has its real crab supply. This
under ideal conditions.
About the 1st of September all the
crabs born in the previous year have
reached the peak of maturity-at
which time they mate.
There is law in the Chesapeake
Bay region which prohibits the cap
turing of the blue crab until he has
reached length of 3 inches. If the
| law evaders do not get the little crab
he finally, at the age of IA months,
attains length anywhere from 5 to
inches-and then is ready to take
his place in the crab world as head
of family. He is ready to mate-and
he does mate. in Maryland waters.
| Strange, but true, the blue crab OF
the Chesapeake honeymoons nowhere
else but in the upper, or warmer,
waters of the bay-in the neighbor-
! hood of Baltimore, Tangier Sound,
Solomons and Gibson Islands, Cris-
field and that country-the happy
| honeymoon grounds. After that the
females start the long trek down the
Chesapeake Bay to the capes-where
the spawning grounds await them and
the birth of the baby crabs. Nor do
| the males go with them. 1t is strictly
feminine excursion. In long years
of observation DR.. Truitt knows of
only one male crab who ventured to
| go along with the females to the
Southern waters.
If the girls make it, they get down
around the capes in October-at the
latest-and then they go into their
long Winter sleep, or Information. In
frost time they settle down on the
bottom of the bay, eat little and dis
play. no activity. Grabs do not grow
or shed during the Winter months
1t is in this period they are easily
caught. When they are caught at
/ this time tragedy hovers over the
grabbing industry-for just that many
crabs are deprived of life. The nur-
sery is being robbed.
NORMALLY, the hard crab industry
operates from April to November,
and trot lines from 200 to 1000 yards
are used when the crabs are biting
When the crabs are not biting the
crab scoop is brought into play-and
that plays havoc with plenty of crabs.
Or. the crabs are dredged when they
are in the stupor Of Winter. When the
female crabs are carrying their eggs
they are thus destroyed. That is why
DR.. Truitt and the men associated with
him want sanctuaries for the crabs.
just as game birds and animals are
protected by law.
In this period crabs seek shallow
waters where there are grass and SUM-
shine Unless those waters are pro-
:ected. or men have sense of reSpon-
sibility to an idustry. invaders of crab
life dredge across the grass. or scrape
for peeler crabs and hard crabs. That
is the deplorable state now existing.
The baby crabs do not get chance.
Fourteen months after the birth of
these baby crabs they make up the
next crab crop, for they have then
reached maturity. That is the way 1t
should be. and that is the way the
Maryland and the Virginia Conserva-
tion Commissions want it to be, but so
many elements enter into the problem
that it may be years before the ideal
situation obtains in the grabbing in
dustry.
One of the charges cited, for in
stance, is the great destruction of
crabs during the month Of Novem-
ber-when the crabs should be let
alone. 1t Is said, and proved, by DR..
Truitt, that 90 per cent of all crabs
caught at that time are mated fe-
males-and that means invasion OF
the maternity wards. Yet Maryland
has a law which says there shall be
no grabbing in Wintertime. 1t works
about like the old prohibition law. In
Virginia they are trying to cut down
grabbing, except for two weeks in the
year-in late June.
|NJOW that science has come into
~ the picture, something may be
done to save the blue crab Of the
Chesapeake-but it is going to be a
long, uphill fight. The fight is being
waged by DR.. Truitt. who has devoted
the best part of his life to a study
of the crab. There have been other
studies, of course; one, notably. by
DR.. E. P. Churchill. formerly of the
United States Bureau Of Fisheries and
now with the University of South Da-
kota. DR.. Truitt, as student OF
biology, studied with DR.. Churchill.
1t was only recently that tagging Of
the crabs came into the study OF
this interesting subject. DR.. Tru1tt.
in 1884, started tagging crabs and. to
date, has tagged some 10000 Of those
in the Chesapeake Bay. In this
way Is an accurate chart being made
of crab migrations. A little red cellu-
loid tag is attached to the back OF
| a crab and q crabber who catches
this crab Is asked to return the tag
to the Chesapeake Biological Labora-
tory at Solomons Island. About IL
per cent of the crabs tagged have
been heard from-and records kept.
DR.. Truitt Is of the belief that when
the people of the United States come
to realize fully the importance Of the
crab as a diet they will enter the
campaign to save this precious food
stuff. It remained for q woman In
the National Museum. DR.. Mary j
Rathbun, to give the blue crab Of the
Chesapeake Bay its scientific name
This Is Callinectus sapidus. 1t may
be translated in several ways, but the
one that appeals mostly to DR.. Truitt
is this: A toothsome, tasty delight
It is that; a savory dish. Further.