THE CRAB INDUSTRY OF MARYLAND. 425 



Crahhing grounds. — The larger portion of the catch is made in the 

 Choptank, Tred Avon, Wicomico, St. Michaels, Chester, and Little 

 Annemessex rivers, and Chesapeake Ba}', on the eastern sliore of the 

 state, and in Mill Creek, a tributary of the Patuxent River, on the 

 western shore. The crabs are taken in depths of water varying from 

 2 feet in the rivers to 40 feet in the open waters of Chesapeake Ba3^ 

 The average depth would be about 10 feet. They usually frequent 

 muddy bottoms, but at certain seasons of the year they are found on 

 hard bottoms, thus differing from soft crabs, which always seek grassy 

 bottoms. 



Season. — At Crisiield the fishery for hard crabs is carried on from 

 early in April until the latter part of November. In most other local- 

 ities the season is considerably shorter. The larger portion of the 

 .catch is taken between June 1 and September 1, most of the fishermen 

 discontinuing at the latter date to take up oyster tonging. By reason 

 of this reduction in number the crabbers who continue during Sep- 

 tember and October succeed in making fairly good catches. They are 

 also aided by the cooler weather, which permits of the catch being- 

 kept in good condition for shipment until the following day. During 

 the winter quite a number of hard crabs are taken incidentally in 

 oyster dredges. There is ver}^ little sale for these, however, except 

 at Crisfield, where one firm is engaged in picking crab meat during 

 the entire year. This firm depends upon New York State for most of 

 its supply of crabs during the winter. It is thought that the winter 

 catch could be augmented should the demand become greater. 



Apjjaratus. — With the exception of the crabs alread}' mentioned as 

 being caught in oyster dredges and the few taken together with soft 

 crabs, the entire hard-crab catch of the state is obtained with trot lines. 

 These lines vary in length from 200 to 1,000 j'ards, the average being 

 about 450 yards, and are of cotton, manila, or grass rope, the size run- 

 ning from one-eighth to five-eighths of an inch in diameter, but usually 

 being about one-fourth inch. Man}" fishermen tar their lines, though 

 the practice is not universal. In some localities snoods about 18 

 inches in length, of fine twine, are fastened to the main line at inter- 

 vals of 3 to 4 feet, the bait being placed at the ends of these snoods. 

 Other fishermen, however, use no snoods, but make a loop in the main 

 line, through which the bait is slipped. The use of snoods is prefera- 

 ble where the water is rough, as the crabs are not so easily shaken off 

 by the strain on the line when pulling the boat along and when the 

 line is being lifted from the water in removing the crabs. Many fish- 

 ermen advise their use under all circumstances, as with snoods swing- 

 ing from the main line the crabs are able to see the bait from any 

 direction. Trot lines are always anchored on the bottom of a stream. 

 For this purpose grapnels or killicks weighing from 5 to 10 pounds 

 are used, one being placed at each end of the line, and in many cases 



