CRAB INDUSTRY OF CHESAPEAKE BAY. 13 
YORK COUNTY, VA. 
There are here 78 crabbers and 18 dredge boats. There are no 
crab houses. The main crabbing grounds are the York River and 
Poquoson Bay on the northeast and Back River on the south, the 
dredge boats operating in the lower part of the bay. No soft crabs 
are handled, the entire catch of hard crabs going to Hampton, Nor- 
folk, and Cape Charles. 
ELIZABETH CITY COUNTY, VA. 
This county has 116 crabbers, 57 dredge boats, and 16 crab houses. 
The main crabbing grounds are the Hampton Roads on the southeast 
and Back River on the north, the dredge boats operating in the lower 
part of the bay. This county leads by far in the number of dredge 
boats, which operate during the winter months and sellto Hampton, 
Norfolk, and Cape Charles. One crab house is located at Phoebus 
and the rest at Hampton. All are picking houses and remain open 
for the most part throughout the year. A few close during a part of 
the summer when the season is slack, owing to the falling off in the 
supply of crabs during the month of August especially. This has 
been emphasized by the institution of a closed season on sponge- 
bearing crabs during July and August. There is no soft-crab industry 
in this county, since the bulk of the crabs caught here are adults. 
Hampton is the center of the hard-crab industry. More crab meat 
is picked out and shipped from this city than from any other on the 
bay. The adult crabs, especially the females, migrate in great 
numbers to the lower part of the bay in the fall. By the use of the 
trot-line in the summer and the dredge in the winter, hard crabs are 
obtained in sufficient quantities to enable the houses to operate 
throughout most of the year. 
ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY, VA. 
This county has 1 crabber, the crabbing grounds being the James 
River. 
NORFOLK COUNTY, VA. 
There are here 60 crabbers, 1 dredge boat, and 11 crab houses. 
The last are located at Norfolk and Portsmouth, but only 3 or 4 are 
of any importance, and these remain open throughout the year; all 
are picking houses. There is little local soft-crab trade. The crab- 
bing grounds are the James River, Hampton Roads, and Lynnhaven 
Roads, all on the north. 
PRINCESS ANNE COUNTY, VA. 
This county has 8 crabbers, but no crab houses. The crabbing 
oe are Lynnhaven Roads on the north. The catch goes to 
orfolk. 
SUMMARY. 
Hard crabs are caught and sold, in general, throughout the extent 
of the bay from the Capes to Baltimore. About as many are handled 
in Maryland as in Virginia. The center of the hard-crab industry in 
Maryland is at Crisfield, although the trade in hard crabs in Maryland 
is more evenly distributed among the different towns than in Virginia. 
