THE CRAB INDUSTRY OF MARYLAND. 
By Wintrurop A. Rosperts. 
Agent of the Bureau of Fisheries. 
INTRODUCTION. 
Maryland furnishes by far a larger supply of crabs than any state 
in the Union, and it is not improbable that its people were the first to 
discover the edible qualities of this crustacean and its value as a market 
product. The only species taken in the commercial fisheries of the 
state is the blue erab ( Callinectes sapidus), which is caught and marketed 
in both the hard-shell and the soft-shell condition. The fishery for 
soft crabs, however, is much more extensive than that for hard crabs. 
Most of the data in this paper were collected by the writer during 
an investigation of the fisheries of Maryland in 1902, when the entire 
crab-producing region of the state was visited and most of the fisher- 
men and dealers interviewed. Prof. W. P. Hay, of Howard Univer- 
sity, who was at that time engaged in an investigation of the natural 
history of the crab, collected also data concerning the fishery, and his 
notes have been freely used in this report. It has been the purpose 
not to deal with the crab from a scientific standpoint, but accurately 
to present the information obtained relating to its economic value. 
Acknowledgment is made to the crab fishermen and dealers in this 
region for courtesies rendered, and especially to Mr. Isaac H. Tawes, 
of Crisfield; Mr. Harris, of the firm of H. L. Harris & Co., of Cam- 
bridge; Mr. Frank L. Corkran, of Oxford; and Mr. Moses E. Pritchett, 
of Bishops Head, all of whom contributed much valuable information. 
THE SOFT-CRAB INDUSTRY. 
The greatest crab shipping point in the United States is Crisfield, 
Md., situated near the extreme lower end of Somerset County on the 
Little Annemessex River, a tributary of Tangier Sound. This town 
not only receives the catch taken from Maryland waters in its vicinity, 
but also the principal part of the Tangier Island catch. Deal Island 
ranks next to Crisfield as a shipping point, but it has the benefit of 
steamboat transportation only, while Crisfield has train service in 
¥. C. 1904—27 417 
