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MARINE PRODUCTS OF COMMERCE 



drawn up by a single man. With a good breeze a 2-man crew can handle 2 light 

 scrapes. In order to obtain good catches of crabs the scrape must be dragged 

 over the bottom slightly faster than the crabs can travel so that they cannot escape 

 when once in the bag. 



The crabber usually reaches the crabbing grounds at daybreak and returns to 

 market his catch before noon; it is advantageous to sell the crabs before the heat 

 of the day has injured those confined in the live boxes. 



Since the practice of scraping is carried on in fairly deep water and is con- 

 fined to the Crisfield, Md., region, where the immature crabs predominate during 

 the season, the bulk of the catch consists of peelers. As the crabs move inshore just 

 before shedding, soft crabs are more numerous in shallower waters. 



The heaviest catches of soft crabs are made during June and July. Crabs are 

 caught throughout the season by the use of the scoop net; however, little scraping 

 is done after the middle of July owing to calm weather. Fishermen often scrape 

 for crabs as long as there is sufficient wind for sailing. When the wind dies down, 

 they anchor the sailboats and use skiffs for scoop-netting in shallow water or on 

 bottoms where the grass grows so thick that scraping is impossible. In shallow 

 water less than 3 feet deep the crabbers often leave their skiffs and wade for 

 the crabs. 



Hard Crabs. The scrape, trotline, and dredge are used for taking hard crabs. 

 Since crabbing with scrapes has already been considered, further discussion is 

 unnecessary. 



The trotline is the most common instrument used for the capture of hard crabs; 

 however, it is only effective in warm weather as cold water numbs the crabs and 

 makes it impossible for them to seize the bait. Churchill (1918) has described 

 the use of trotlines in Chesapeake Bay as follows: 



"Trotlines are usually made of /s-inch diameter cotton rope, and vary from 

 /4 to 1 mile in length. A chain anchor, weighing about 10 pounds, is attached to 

 each end of the line. A painted buoy, showing the location and owner of the set, 

 is also attached. Buoys are connected to the anchor by means of a fiber rope 

 approximately 60 feet long, depending to some extent on the depth of the water 

 in which the line is set. 



"The line is baited either by means of slipknots directly in the line itseff or in 

 snoods 6 or 8 inches long attached to the line at intervals of about 18 inches. Dried 



(.Courtesy U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service) 



Fig. 29-4. The roller and bracket type trotline apparatus. 



