630 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES. 



"green crab" (New Bedford), a term which properly belongs to a smaller species, not regarded as 

 edible on our coast; "paddler" (Vineyard Sound, Narragansett Bay, and Long Island Sound); 

 " blue claw"; " bay crab" and " river crab" (New Jersey) ; and " lake crab" (Gulf of Mexico). 

 The terms " soft crab" and " hard crab," although having reference to different conditions of the 

 same species, are frequently used as common names to designate the edible crab. 



It. may be well in this connection to describe the names applied by crab catchers to the different 

 conditions of the crab during the period of shedding its old and growing its new shell, as they will 

 be used on the following pages without further explanation. The hard-shell crab, or " hard crab," 

 as it is commonly called, when about ready to shed its shell, but before the shell has actually 

 broken, is termed a " comer." During the various stages of shedding, from the time of the breaking 

 of the old shell to the soft shell state, it is called a " buster," "peeler," or " shedder." As soon as 

 the crab has freed itself from its old covering it is a " soft crab," but a slight hardening makes it 

 a " paper shell," and a greater hardening, as long as the shell remains flexible enough to bend 

 without breaking, entitles it to the name of " buckler." The buckler, however, soon becomes a 

 hard crab. It is probable that the female crabs moult soon after spawning, for after the eggs have 

 hatched, the egg coverings still remain attached to the swimmerets and can only be gotten rid of by 

 the operation of shedding. 



SIZE. The average size of the blue crabs sent to market ranges from 4 to 6 inches in width 

 across the carapax ; extreme dimensions are 7 to 10 inches. 



DISTRIBUTION, SEASON, ABUNDANCE. The winter habits of the blue crab have never been 

 carefully studied. Cold weather drives the crabs away from the shores and into somewhat deeper 

 water, where they are supposed to pass the winter without much activity, or even partly buried 

 in the soft muddy or sandy bottoms. During the warmer months of the year they keep close to 

 the shores, and enter the shallow water areas in immense numbers, affording an excellent oppor- 

 tunity for their capture. 



As would naturally be expected, the crabbing season, or, more explicitly, the season in which 

 crabs may be taken in shallow water, varies in duration on different parts of the coast, according 

 to the climatic conditions. At the North the season is considerably shorter than at the South, and 

 during mild winters crabs can be taken close to the shore, on the coasts of the southernmost 

 States, during nearly every month of the year. On the coasts of Southern New England and 

 Long Island, the season extends from about May to October or November. On the New Jersey 

 coast, the season opens somewhat earlier and lasts until cold weather begins. At the mouth of 

 Chesapeake Bay, and from there to Georgia, it extends from March to November, but the best months 

 are said to be generally those from May to September. In Western Florida the usual season is 

 from March to December, and in the Gulf of Mexico it is about the same; but, as mentioned above, 

 warm winters in this region keep the crabs in nearly the same localities which they inhabit during 

 the summer. Crabs are not always taken for food and shipment at the South throughout the 

 season of their abundance near shore. Warm weather interferes with the industry, and in such 

 cases most of the fishing is done in the spring and fall. Soft crabs are only obtainable during the 

 warmer months of the year. 



During the period designated as the crabbing season, crabs are to be found near shore in all 

 localities favorable to them within the limits of their distribution. They inhabit principally 

 muddy and sandy bottoms, entering the bays, sounds, inlets, rivers, creeks, and all other indenta- 

 tions of the coast, as well as living upon the outer shores and sand-bars. Brackish water appears 

 to be as favorable to their existence as salt, and they often ascend the rivers to where the water 

 is absolutely fresh. It is probable that even during the summer they may occur in moderate 



