Machines, many processors and 

 pickers alike argue, don't yield the bet- 

 ter "bone-free" meat demanded by 

 restaurants and consumers, and picked 

 by experienced hands. Many claim 

 that the machines have a long way to 

 go, producing meat now that "looks 

 like it chewed it all up and spit it out 

 for bad." However, most processors 

 are aware their businesses' futures will 

 soon rely upon the dependable and 

 time-efficient labor source found in the 

 new machines being perfected through 

 modern technology. 



Sanitation, another problem in the 

 business, can also be checked better 

 through some mechanization. Un- 

 sanitary pickers, flys in the picking 

 room and improperly cleaned tables 

 are the prime sources for a high bac- 

 terial count in crab meat. Spoilage, 

 poor handling and equipment 

 breakdown can contaminate this very 

 valuable and expensive product and 

 cause a plant to be shut down. 



When a person's health is at stake, 

 federal and state regulations come in 

 to ensure good sanitation and a good 

 product. Shellfish Sanitation, under 

 the State Department of Human 

 Resources, is the controlling agency 

 responsible for issuing plant permits. 

 The United States Food and Drug Ad- 

 ministration also makes periodic in- 

 spections of each processing plant, 

 from the loading docks where the crabs 

 are landed to the final packaged 

 product under refrigeration. Samples 

 are taken and sent back to labs for bac- 

 terial count checks. And it takes an ef- 

 ficient and spotless business to pass 

 the strict regulations enforced by the 

 state and federal government. 



Waste disposal is the biggest 

 problem the processor faces daily. The 

 majority of the processors in North 

 Carolina haul their waste to landfills or 

 farmlands where it can be tilled under 

 daily. James Paul Lewis, owner of the 

 Lewis plant in Davis, uses his waste as 

 prime fertilizer on his farm. A few local 

 hog farmers take the nutritional solid 

 crab waste to supplement their feed. 

 But these methods aren't solutions for 

 all processors nor for all of the waste 

 that can be generated on a good day. 

 Some waste does end up being dumped 

 in creeks, left uncovered at landfills, or 

 deposited by the picking plant. 



Crab reduction equipment is the 

 best means of waste disposal, ac- 

 cording to Thomas, but not 

 economically feasible for the small 



plant operator. Crab reduction in- 

 volves dehydrating the crab meat 

 waste and grinding it to make such 

 products as chicken feed. There are 

 several commercial reduction plants 

 and a common dryer in Pamlico 

 County available for a fee, but most 

 processors either don't want to haul 

 large amounts of waste or aren't even 

 near the dryers. Thomas warns that as 

 demand for crabs increase, so will the 

 waste, becoming more of a problem in 

 the next couple of years. 



However, despite some irregular mo- 

 ments with crabbers, owners and 



pickers to meet seasonal and inconsis- 

 tent demands from consumers, the 

 crab business is a very healthy, grow- 

 ing business. Frozen-food concerns 

 now use over 45 percent of all of the 

 blue crabs landed in the United States, 

 making this delicious product even 

 more available and widely distributed. 

 With an increased emphasis placed on 

 healthy foods and gourmet cooking, 

 crabs and all other forms of seafood 

 have been in great demand. And, when 

 the chance to get the fresh, sweet meat 

 of North Carolina's blue crabs comes 

 to most people, very few turn it down. 



Photo by Cassie Griffin 



