THE CRAB FISHERIES. 633 



lines for enticing hard crabs within reach of the scoop-net are in common use, wherever crab fish- 

 ing is pursued as an industry, from New York to Galveston, Tex. As stated above, the usual form 

 of line employed is constructed after the pattern of the trot-line used in ordinary fishing, but 

 without hooks ; in the crab fishery it bears the same name. The crabber's trot-line consists of a 

 main line from 250 to 1,200 feet long, with smaller lateral lines, 18 inches or more in length, 

 arranged at regular intervals of about 18 inches to 2 feet. At Hampton, Va., one-half-inch man- 

 ilia, rope is used for the main line. The bait, usually consisting of beef, tripe, raw meat, or fish, is 

 simply tied to the lateral lines. 



There are several ways of setting the trot-lines, each of which is managed by one or two 

 persons. In some places, as at Hampton, Va., each end of the trot-line is furnished with an anchor 

 and buoy, and one man tends each line in a small skiff', about 16 feet long by 3 feet wide. Arriv- 

 ing at the fishing-ground, he drops one end of the trot-line overboard, with its anchor and buoy, 

 and rows oft', paying out the entire length of the line, until the other end is reached with its 

 anchor and buoy, which are likewise thrown over. The line is then constantly examined, 

 the man in his skiff' passing continuously backwards and forwards, drawing himself along by 

 means of the main line, after the manner of under-running cod trawl-lines. The crabs as they 

 are drawn to the surface of the water, clinging to the bait, are removed by means of a scoop- 

 net and thrown into the, boat. Another method of setting the lines is to tie the ends to poles, 

 which are thrust down into the bottom, so as to allow the lateral lines to rest upon the sand 

 or mud. On the Louisiana and Texas coasts, the trot-lines are used from the beaches, each being 

 tended by two persons. The main line, which usually measures about 1,200 feet long, is stretched 

 along the beach at the water's edge and the lateral lines are thrown outwards as far as they will 

 reach. The lateral lines are then hauled in in quick succession, the men passing continuously 

 backwards and forwards and securing the unsuspecting victims in their scoop-nets, as they are 

 cautiously drawn upon the beach. 



CEAB OAKS OR PENS. In localities where large quantities of crabs are taken for shipment to 

 market, in the soft-shell state, it is generally customary to make arrangements by which the hard 

 crabs nearly ready to shed, called " comers," can be kept in confinement until they have cast their 

 hard covering. This practice is extensively resorted to on the northern coast of New Jersey by 

 the use of floating cars or pens, made of laths or thin boards, each fisherman possessing several of 

 them. They are usually from 4 to 8 feet square and about 1 foot deep, with a partition through 

 the center and a cover. When the crabber arrives with his catch, he places the "comers" in one 

 compartment and the "busters" in the other. The cars, which are kept moored in some sheltered 

 cove a short distance from the shore, are examined two or three times a day, and the soft crabs as 

 they appear are taken out and packed for shipment. Soft crabs loft for any length of time with 

 tlu- hard crabs are liable to be injured by the latter, and in warm weather the new skin or shell 

 is said to harden rapidly. 



METHODS OF SHIPPING. Crabs are shipped to market in various ways, but generally alive. 

 Soft crabs are usually packed in boxes, with moist seaweed or salt grass, each one being care- 

 fully placed at a certain angle, with the front edge of the body up, so as to prevent, as far as 

 possible, the escape of the moisture from the gills. They are also packed snugly together to pre- 

 vent lateral movement, the quantity stowed in each box ranging all the way from four to fifty 

 dozens. During warm weather ice is sometimes used in the packing. The shipping-boxes for soft 

 crabs on the Northern New Jersey coast are about 3 feet long by 2 feet wide and 3 inches deep. 

 They are constructed of pine boards or laths, and have a capacity of from four to six dozens each. 

 A thin layer of grass or seaweed is first placed in the bottom of the box, then the crabs in tho 



