APPENDIX III APPENDIX III 
These cities are the center of the basket trade, a term used 
to describe the sale of large live crabs having a high market 
value. The primary markets for soft shell crabs are on the 
east coast, particularly New York City. A large percent of 
the soft shell crabs are frozen which enables them to be 
shipped long distances and made available throughout the 
year. Pasteurized meat, when available, may be shipped to any 
part of the United States. 
Blue crabs are marketed by gulf fishermen in three ways: 
direct sales to the consumer, sales to seafood dealers, and 
sales to crab buyers. Some fishermen have regular customers, 
including operators of restaurants and bars. Seafood dealers 
sell to processing plants or to the public, while crab buyers 
act as middlemen who purchase hard crabs for large crabmeat 
plants. Some live hard-shell crabs are shipped to the east 
coast for sale. This is more common in cooler months, as 
during warmer months, loss of crabs due to heat makes this 
unprofitable. 
Soft-shell crab fisherm2n in the gulf usually sell their 
catches to seafood dealers, as relatively few restaurants 
deal directly with these fishermen. Market demand and prices 
are currently high although production has been declining. 
The decline is attributed to shortages of knowledgeable 
personnel or personnel willing to devote the time required, 
lack of a steady source of premolt crabs, and poor water 
quality. 
A 1972 NMFS report stated crab consumption was heavy in 
the Pacific Coast States, including Alaska. This area ac- 
counted for over 40 percent of the crabs consumed in the 
United States and the per capita rate was three times greater 
than the national average. NMFS further indicated that this 
region consumed over three-fourths of its king and dungeness 
crab output, with the remainder going into interregional 
trade. 
There is no reported international trade in the blue 
crab fishery. However, in 1975 Alaska exported 3.1 million 
pounds of king crab valued at $8.1 million. 
Fishing fleet 
Blue crabs are caught by different gear, including: 
a. Crab pot--Usually cube shaped, 2 feet on each side, 
and made of hexagonal wire mesh. The pot is divided into two 
chambers; a lower bait chamber which contains a bait holder 
and has an inward opening entrance, and a trap chamber located 
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