rl32 



NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



and to the ends of these the bait is tied. This consists of pieces 

 of eel's flesh, which is sometimes fresh but more frequently salt. 

 The catching and salting of This are done in the previous winter. 

 The rope is now coiled in a tub and taken out to the shallow 

 water where the crabs occur. One end is fastened to a pole set 

 in the bottom and the rope is then paid out along the bottom, 

 and the other end fastened to another pole. The line is then gone 

 over the following day by the fisherman in a row boat, pulling 

 himself along by it, and the crabs which are found clinging to 

 the bait are drawn up and secured with a crab net. They are 

 either put directly into barrels or else into the bottom of the 

 boat to be barreled after the return to the shore. The handling 

 of the crabs is done by means of a pair of iron or wooden forceps 

 about 18 inches long. The fishing is usually done early in the 

 morning, and the lines are rebaited, if necessary, in the afternoon. 



The barrels used in the shipping are empty lime barrels, which 

 are furnished to the fishermen at the station by the Long Island 

 Express Co. for 9 cents each. 



A barrel will hold 200 to 250 crabs according to its size and 

 weighs about 110 pounds. 



In some places the Long Island Express Co. maintains a free 

 collection, and the crabs are then collected from the fishermen 

 and taken to the station. In other places the fishermen have to 

 send them to the station. They are shipped to New York on an 

 express train, leaving late in the afternoon or evening, and the 

 express charge is 40 cents a barrel. 



The season lasts from July 1 to Sep. 15, though crabs may be 

 taken both before and after those dates. The number of men 

 engaged in the business varies considerably, many fishermen tak- 

 ing it up only when other occupations fail for the time. Attend- 

 ing to the wants of the summer population, sailing, etc. seem to 

 be more lucrative than crabbing. The last season also was such 

 an unfavorable one for crabs that but few carried on the business. 



Center Moriches. In 1901 there were 12 men engaged in catch- 

 ing and shipping hard crabs. The shipments here during the 

 season averaged about 50 barrels a day. running at times up to 

 80. In 1902 about the same number of men were catching them, 



