﻿5i 
  

  

  they 
  obtain, 
  and 
  on 
  their 
  return 
  it 
  is 
  smoked, 
  producing 
  

   smoked 
  Halibut 
  of 
  the 
  choicest 
  kind 
  — 
  the 
  so-called 
  " 
  bank- 
  

   halibut." 
  

  

  The 
  Crab 
  Fishery. 
  — 
  " 
  Over 
  twenty 
  species 
  of 
  Crabs 
  belong- 
  

   ing 
  to 
  the 
  coasts 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  are 
  now 
  regarded," 
  

   writes 
  Rathbun, 
  " 
  as 
  of 
  greater 
  or 
  less 
  practical 
  importance 
  

   to 
  mankind. 
  The 
  most 
  valuable 
  of 
  these 
  are 
  the 
  Blue 
  

   Crab 
  (Callinectes 
  hastatus), 
  Lady 
  Crab 
  {PlatyonicJius 
  ocella- 
  

   tus), 
  Stone 
  Crab 
  (Menippe 
  mercenaries), 
  and 
  Rock 
  Crabs 
  

   {Cancer 
  irroratus 
  and 
  C. 
  borealis), 
  of 
  the 
  east 
  coast, 
  and 
  the 
  

   Common 
  Crab, 
  Rock 
  Crab, 
  and 
  Red 
  Crab 
  (Cancer 
  magister, 
  

   C. 
  ajitennarhcs, 
  and 
  C. 
  productus), 
  of 
  the 
  Pacific 
  Coast. 
  The 
  

   remaining 
  species. 
  are 
  utilized 
  simply 
  as 
  bait, 
  or 
  to 
  a 
  slight 
  

   extent 
  only 
  as 
  food. 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  Blue 
  Crab 
  is 
  the 
  common 
  edible 
  Crab 
  of 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  

   Coast, 
  and 
  ranges 
  from 
  Massachusetts 
  Bay 
  to 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  

   Mexico. 
  The 
  season 
  for 
  its 
  fishery 
  is 
  of 
  variable 
  duration 
  

   on 
  different 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  coast. 
  At 
  New 
  York 
  it 
  lasts 
  from 
  

   May 
  to 
  October, 
  while 
  in 
  Florida 
  it 
  begins 
  as 
  early 
  as 
  

   March 
  and 
  continues 
  until 
  December, 
  or, 
  if 
  the 
  weather 
  be 
  

   mild, 
  through 
  the 
  entire 
  winter. 
  This 
  Crab 
  is 
  eaten 
  in 
  

   both 
  the 
  hard 
  and 
  soft 
  shell 
  condition, 
  but 
  is 
  greatly 
  pre- 
  

   ferred, 
  and 
  commands 
  a 
  much 
  higher 
  price, 
  when 
  in 
  the 
  

   latter 
  state. 
  Soft-shell 
  Crabs 
  are, 
  however, 
  seldom 
  taken 
  

   in 
  marketable 
  quantities 
  excepting 
  on 
  the 
  New 
  Jersey 
  

   coast, 
  whence 
  New 
  York 
  derives 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  its 
  

   supplies. 
  The 
  Crab 
  fishery 
  for 
  New 
  Jersey 
  alone 
  amounted 
  

   to 
  over 
  $160,000, 
  in 
  1880. 
  

  

  " 
  Several 
  different 
  appliances 
  are 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  capture 
  of 
  

   Blue 
  Crabs, 
  the 
  most 
  common 
  being 
  the 
  ordinary 
  scoop 
  or 
  

   dip 
  net, 
  also 
  called 
  crab-net. 
  For 
  attracting 
  the 
  Crabs 
  

   from 
  depths 
  not 
  easily 
  reached 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  the 
  dip-net, 
  

   the 
  fishermen 
  resort 
  to 
  baited 
  lines, 
  without 
  hooks, 
  which 
  

  

  E 
  2 
  

  

  