APPENDIX III APPENDIX III 
current abundance level of tanner crabs can continue to sup- 
port present catch levels and that room for expansion exists. 
Harvesting capability 
According to Stake Officials, there 15 a sutbierent 
amount of gear in the blue crab fishery for fishermen to 
take advantage of abundant year-classes when they occur. 
Trawls, which are more effective than traps, are used 
to take blue crabs in the coastal waters of the South Atlantic 
States. One researcher has suggested that an increased 
crabbing effort could be productive around the Mississippi 
River delta and in the Atchafalaya Bay area of Louisiana, 
and that trawls should be used in these two areas. Evalua- 
tions of trawl use in Florida and Mississippi are planned. 
The crab harvesting capability along the Pacific coast 
is adequate to harvest the resources available. Even con— 
sidering the potential tanner crab increase, the existing 
king crab fleet would be able to fish tanner crab. 
Product development and 
processing 
Mechanization of the picking process, and an extension 
of the shelf life of bulk-packed crabmeat and shoft-shell 
crabs offer growth opportunities in the blue crab fishery. 
Most blue crabmeat now marketed is hand picked because 
machine methods do not remove enough shell, but the supply 
of workers is dwindling. When blue crabs are most abundant, 
processors have to limit crab purchases in proportion to 
their capacity to pick meat manually. 
At a November 1975 crab industry conference, announce- 
ments were made concerning three crab picking machines that 
May revolutionize the processing industry. It is believed 
that these machines will improve the meat quality because 
there will be less contamination from handlers, and they are 
faster and more efficient in producing shell-free meat. 
Future improvements in processing or product development 
in the Pacific crab fishery are not needed. Present capa- 
bility is adequate to process all harvested crab in an accept- 
able and marketable manner. 
Marketing potential 
Present markets for blue crab are located primarily in 
coastal areas; therefore, there is an opportunity to develop 
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