BIOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY 217 



FUTURE DEVELOPMENT 



There is no sure way to determine the biological limits of the blue crab 

 population in North Carolina except through unrestricted exploitation by 

 the fisheries. Full exploitation has not occurred up to the present day be- 

 cause of economic restrictions. The magnitudes of both the hard- and soft- 

 crab fisheries have been dependent in varying degree upon the available 

 supply of crabs in Chesapeake Bay. The crab industry in North Carolina 

 has been one based in large measure on primary raw-material production 

 rather than manufacture. For example, compared to some loo crab-picking 

 houses in operation on Chesapeake Bay in 1946, only 16 houses operated 

 in North Carolina during this period and, prior to 1930, probably not more 

 than a half dozen crab-picking houses were to be found along the entire 

 coast of the State. Significantly, crab packers on Chesapeake Bay have not 

 found it desirable to open subsidiary crab-picking plants in North Carolina, 

 apparently finding it more economical to buy live crabs within the State and 

 bring them to Chesapeake ports when market requirements necessitate. The 

 future expansion of the crab industry in North Carolina depends pri- 

 marily on the procurement of new markets for crab products by both 

 primary and secondary producers. A most promising step in this direction 

 was the recent establishment (1943) of a crab meat canning industry in 

 Beaufort County. 



Since the most promising market for blue crab products lies in the heavily 

 populated East and Middle West, it is essential that costs in the pro- 

 duction of crab meat and soft crabs be made substantially lower in North 

 Carolina than in Chesapeake Bay, which is the region not only of heaviest 

 yield but also closest to major marketing centers. Lower costs may be 

 obtained by the use of cheaper raw materials (live crabs) and labor (crab- 

 meat pickers). Complex economic and social factors will determine the 

 extent to which costs can be reduced. 



The statistical history of the fishery fails to show that the blue crab 

 resource has been fully utilized in North Carolina. The biological limit of 

 the commercial yield of the crab fisheries is undoubtedly higher than past 

 production indicates. While the crab population, dwelling year-round in the 

 shallow sounds and rivers of the State, appears unlimited so far as the 

 present intensity of the fishery is concerned, it must be remembered that a 

 restricted market now prevails for the relatively high-priced sea-foods of 

 crab meat and soft shell crabs. More efficient ways to catch, to process, and 

 to market blue crabs must be sought to overcome present handicaps to a 

 greater utilization of the crab resources of the State. 



