CRAB INDUSTRY OF CHESAPEAKE BAY. 
By E. P. Cuurcutt1, Jr., Assistant, U. S. Bureau of Fisheries. 
GROWTH AND SIZE OF THE INDUSTRY. 
The blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) is the only species of crab found 
in Chesapeake Bay which has so far proved to be of commercial 
importance. The catching and preparing for market of this crusta- 
cean has given rise to an industry which, at the present time, embraces 
almost the entire bay in its scope. The crab of Chesapeake Bay was 
first put on the market in the year 1873 or 1874, shipments of soft 
crabs being made by Capt. John H. Landon, from Crisfield, Md., to 
the firm of John Martin, of Philadelphia. The hard-crabbing 
industry was initiated in 1878 by James McMenamin, who opened a 
plant at Hampton, Va., for.canning the meat of the hard crab. The 
firm which he founded is still in operation, constituting the oldest 
existing crabbing firm in Virginia, if not in the whole bay. 
Some trouble was at first experienced in finding a market for the 
crabs and the meat. Crabs were, to most persons, an unknown form 
of food and were even considered by many to be poisonous. Express 
agents and railroad employees, whose daily run took them through 
Crisfield, became familiar with the edible qualities of the soft crab 
and assisted in arousing the interest of fish and game dealers of the 
larger cities, such as Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York. The 
Hampton firm carried ona very extensive advertising campaign. By 
these means the use of the crab as a food gradually spread until crabs 
and crab meat are now found in most of the important markets. 
At first the soft crabs were shipped in heavy boxes which made the 
express charges high. No ice was used and consequently at least 
one-half of the crabs died en route. Mr. Martin, mentioned above, 
suggested that ice be packed about the crabs. A method of placing 
the crabs in trays in the boxes was devised, in order that those in 
any part of the box might be examined without disturbing the 
remainder. The present style of trays and boxes was introduced in 
1884 by Isaac Tawes, of Crisfield. 
Soft crabs were first caught by the use of hand or dip nets. Old 
oyster dredges then began to be employed, in a manner similar to that 
used in dredging for oysters. Next a special form of scrape without 
teeth was invented. The iron-mesh bag was replaced by one of cotton 
mesh, the patent for which was held by L. Cooper Dize, of Crisfield. 
This form of apparatus came into general use and is one of the chief 
means of taking soft crabs at present. The haul seine was formerly 
often employed in catching crabs but its use now is confined to a few 
localities in the northern part of the bay. No licenses were issued 
for its use in 1916. The shedding of crabs in floats began very 
shortly after the beginning of commercial catching. The style of 
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