THE AMERICAN CRAB INDUSTRY 621 



The cooked crabs are dumped on picking tables where the back shells are 

 removed and the meat is picked from the body by means of a sharp pointed knife. 

 The pickers are paid according to the amount of meat prepared. An experienced 

 picker can remove from 60 to 70 pounds in a day. 



The pickers divide the meat into 3 grades, depending upon the region of the 

 body from which it is taken. The "lump" meat is from the muscles which operate 

 the swimming legs or back fins, and is considered the best. The "white" or "flake" 

 meat is made up of the remaining muscles of the body, with the exception of the 

 claws, and ranks second in value. The "claw" meat brings the lowest price because 

 of its dark color. Many persons, however, prefer its flavor to that of the other 

 grades. The 3 grades are packed separately in tin cans, with perforations in the 

 bottom. These cans, which hold from 1 to 5 pounds, are packed in barrels with 

 ice before shipping by express. 



A gallon of meat weighs about 5 pounds. The amount of meat obtained per 

 barrel of crabs depends upon whether they are "fat" or "poor." In the spring and 

 early summer, when the muscles are shrunken, the crabs are referred to as "poor." 

 In late summer, fall, and early winter the muscles are full, and the crabs are 

 called "fat." Fat crabs yield about 20 pounds, whereas poor crabs give only about 

 15 pounds of meat per barrel. 



Some clean back shells are shipped with the cans of meat for use in the prepa- 

 ration of deviled crab. The shells are first "knocked out," by which process the 

 portions of the reproductive organs and liver (which are popularly called "fat") 

 adhering to the shells are removed. The shells are then placed in large wire crates 

 or baskets and washed. The washed shells are dried by being spread either on a 

 floor or wharf or in shallow trays about 10 feet long by 4 feet wide, consisting of 

 a frame of narrow boards with a bottom of chicken-wire fencing. 



Pacific Coast Fishery 



The edible crab, dungeness {Cancer magister), of the Pacific Coast, is found 

 from Unalaska to Magdalena Bay, Lower California. The most important fishery 

 is at San Francisco; other important fisheries are located at Eureka, California; 

 on the Puget Sound, Washington; and at Wrangell and Petersburg, Alaska. In 

 Oregon crabbing is carried on extensively at Coos Bay, Yaquina and about the 

 mouth of the Columbia. In British Columbia this fishery is conducted at Boundary 

 Bay, at Prince Rupert, and on a smaller scale at many other points. 



The flesh of this crab undergoes changes at moulting time which make it unde- 

 sirable for food unless taken in full soft shell. It is not possible with the methods 

 in use to take moulting crabs as they are not attracted by bait. This eliminates 

 soft crabs from the markets on the Pacific Coast. 



California laws forbid the taking of crabs from August 1 to November 15, 

 inclusive, and crabs smaller than 7 inches. The legal size is 6/2 inches in Wash- 

 ington and 6 inches in Oregon and British Columbia. The closed season in Oregon 

 and Washington extends from July 1 to September 13. British Columbia has no 

 closed season. In Alaska the 1950 regulations forbid the taking of female crabs 

 for commercial purposes. Only those male crabs measuring more than 7 inches 

 across the greatest width can be used. 



Methods of Fishing. At Eureka and San Francisco, California, where fishing is 

 done chiefly in exposed waters off the harbors, hoop nets are exclusively used. 



