equivalent to hanging an "out of 

 business" sign on the door of any of 

 North Carolina's 42 crab houses. 



Ever mindful of the threat from 

 this ubiquitous bacteria, processors are 

 careful with their crab meat, in some 

 cases choosing to pasteurize their 

 products instead of selling them fresh. 



Although many of Shellfish 

 Sanitation's regulations are designed 

 to protect the public, some producers 

 say the tight controls are doing more 

 than limiting health hazards. They're 

 also limiting expansion of the indus- 

 try. 



Under present regulations, 

 Shellfish Sanitation does not allow 

 blue crab processors in North Carolina 

 to repack crab meat. This minimizes 

 handling that might introduce safety 

 problems. 



But processors say the risks are 

 minimal and rewards could be 

 bountiful. 



If permitted to do so, large 

 processors could buy crab meat from 

 small processors, Stephenson says. 

 Then they could repack it and either 

 pasteurize or freeze it to sell in the off- 

 season. 



Holding the meat would eliminate 

 seasonal gluts, boost wholesale prices 

 for all processors and allow large 

 producers the ability to supply big- 

 dollar buyers such as supermarket and 

 restaurant chains. Other states already 

 allow repacking, putting Tar Heel 

 producers at a disadvantage. 



In a meeting between industry 

 producers and Shellfish Sanitation in 

 March, processors asked officials to 

 rescind the repacking regulation. 

 Officials are considering the repeal. 



Other regulations under consider- 

 ation include a requirement for 

 tamper-evident packaging to reduce 

 the potential for fraud once the crab 

 containers leave the processing plant. 



Stephenson says such packaging 

 could add 4 to 5 cents to each pound 

 of crab meat sold. But he has no 

 objections to the regulation as long as 



North Carolina processors aren't the 

 only ones having to use such pack- 

 ages. 



Despite an injection of new 

 technology and a fresh look at old 

 regulations, crab processing is still a 

 labor-intensive industry. And in recent 

 years, that labor has been hard to find. 



Many women, on whose nimble 

 fingers the crab industry has relied, 

 have retired or gone to their graves. 

 Younger women and men don't want 

 the job. And there's not a machine 

 around that can extract the white 

 lumps of savory meat so prized by 

 restaurants and consumers. 



What's a crab processor to do? 



Hire Mexican migrant workers. 



Last year in the face of a dwin- 

 dling work force of handpickers, 

 processors brought 300 migrant 

 workers into North Carolina crab 

 houses, Green says. Many of the 

 pickers were experienced, having 

 worked in the Mexican crab industry. 



Green says the workers are 

 brought to the Tar Heel state for the 

 peak season, May until Thanksgiving, 

 and make as much money in those six 

 months as they would make in five 

 years in their home country. 



Some processors grumble that 

 producers who use migrant help are 

 getting off cheap. These producers 

 don't have to pay federal unemploy- 

 ment taxes and workers' compensa- 

 tion — costs that increase labor costs 

 and lower profit margins. 



Not all processors can employ 

 migrant workers. An employer must 

 show a lack of available local labor 

 willing to do the job before hiring 

 migrants. 



Migrant workers. Flash freezing. 

 Health regulations. All are issues the 

 crab industry must grapple with as it 

 tries to grow and change. 



"I tell the children every day the 

 traditional way of doing things is not 

 good enough anymore," Stephenson 

 says. "You've simply got to change if 

 you're going to get ahead." □ 



Cleaning 

 Soft-Shell 



Crabs 



ICut across body just behind eyes to 

 • remove eyes and mouth. 



3 Turn crab over and lift one side of 

 • top shell. 



4 With a small knife, scrape off 

 • grayish-white gills. Repeat 

 procedure on other side. Rinse gently with 

 cold, running water; then pat dry. 



16 MAY/JUNE 1992 



