THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, March 6, 1996 TAG: 9603060851
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY LANE DEGREGORY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 80 lines
Crabbers across the Albemarle area are refurbishing their wire pots, getting ready for what they hope will be a bountiful season for the popular crustaceans.
Some crabbers already have pots in the water around Wanchese and Hatteras, and thousands of other pots will be dropped in the waters of the Albemarle in the next few weeks.
The small hauls of crabs already being harvested are bringing up to $1.25 a pound.
``This year, they're a couple weeks behind when the season usually starts because the weather - and water - have been so cold,'' said Colington Island crab dealer Murray Bridges, who sold more than a million pounds of hard crabs last year. ``For blue crabs to really start potting, the water's got to be about 55 degrees. They'll start crawling around 50 degrees, though. But it was only 41 degrees in Wanchese channel this morning.
``This warm weather here'll help 'em out. I bought three bushels of crabs today,'' Bridges said. ``March 15 - that's when I think they'll really start crawling.''
The softshell crab season generally starts the first week of April and runs through June. Hard crabs stick around at least until November.
About 700 people throughout North Carolina crab commercially. Additionally, about 300 watermen pull crab pots to supplement their incomes. And hundreds of recreational crabbers catch them for their own consumption.
There isn't any limit to the number of crab pots each waterman can work. Most commercial crabbers pull between 150 and 500 pots each, Bridges said. Crab pots have to be out of the water from Jan. 24 to Feb. 7. And, under a new law that went into effect March 1, they can't be fished from one hour after sunset to one hour before sunrise. ``That's to reduce the theft of pots and crabs,'' said Lynn Henry, a biologist for the state Division of Marine Fisheries.
``There's also a five-inch minimum size on crabs from point-to-point,'' said Henry. ``But mature female crabs of any size can be caught.''
Commercial crabbers have to have a crab and shellfish license, a commercial fishing license for their boat, and an endorsement to sell seafood from the state. There's been a moratorium on new commercial fishing licenses since 1993. So people who haven't been in the business before are having a hard time cracking into crabbing.
In 1994, almost 53 million pounds of crabs were caught and sold in North Carolina. Preliminary figures for 1995 show that 45.7 million pounds were landed. But Henry said that figure may increase when the final reports are tallied. While landings were down in some areas, he said, they increased in others. The Albemarle region - including Albemarle, Croatan, Currituck and Roanoke sounds and the Alligator River - accounted for 36 percent of the state's crabs in 1994 and 47 percent last year, and that didn't include figures from Hatteras and Ocracoke.
An estimated 38 companies process crabs in the state. Much of the crab meat - and hard crabs - are shipped to other states. Bridges said he sold about 70 percent of his shellfish to outlets in Maryland and New York last year.
``Hard crabs are some of the first things you can catch around here,'' said Manteo waterman Gary Midgett, who began setting crab pots around Pea Island this week. ``I try to get them in early while the price is still up. You have to pull pots every day during the summer season. But right now, the bait lasts a while because it's still so cool. I can work them only every few days. But I haven't had much luck yet.''
Henry said he can't tell how many crabs are in Carolina waters - or how good this season might be. But Bridges is optimistic.
``It's really hard to predict what this spring might bring. But we had a good sign of small crabs in the fall,'' said Bridges. ``If everything pans out, we'll have as good a season as we ever had around here.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
DREW C. WILSON/The Virginian-Pilot
Gary Midgett, 40, of Manteo, loads at New Inlet before setting pots
around Pea Island this week. ``I try to get them in early while the
price is still up. You have to pull pots every day during the summer
season. But right now, the bait lasts a while because it's still so
cool.''
by CNB