from shedding, and some shedders have found that keeping 

 peelers that long is unprofitable. Many white-line peelers 

 die in the shedding trays. 



• Pink-line peelers show a pinkish tint just inside the 

 outer edge of the last two joints of the paddle fin. These 

 peelers are usually two to six days away from molting and 

 are, along with red-lines, "ripe" or "rank" for peeling. 



• Red-line peelers show a deeper red in place of the pink. 

 They are one to three days away from their molt. 



• Busters are molting crabs whose shells are opening to 

 let the soft crab "bust" out. 



There are other signs and methods for guessing when a 

 crab will molt. Some of these, such as nicking a claw to see 

 the developing soft claw underneath, distress the crab and 

 increase mortality. 



Wescott says that although the color-line methods of 

 identifying peelers require some practice, they produce the 

 best result. 



Handling peelers 



After you've caught your soft crabs or peelers, handle 

 them very carefully on the boat. Keep them away from hard 

 crabs, which will eat soft crabs. Soft crabs are stored in a 



Illustration by Sue Sunday 



container of seawater until they can be iced or sold. Lay 

 just-caught peelers on wet burlap in shallow baskets with 

 covers. Shade them on their way to the shedding trays. 



Busters, which are weak and helpless from the ordeal of 

 molting, must be pampered. Keep them in a bucket of water 

 and change the water every hour to introduce oxygen. 



Wescott says you should keep all crabs away from 

 chemicals and fuels. Never pile them on top of one another, 

 or dump them into their containers. 



Shedding methods 



North Carolina crabbers are using three different 

 methods to shed crabs. There are variations for each 

 method, but here are the basic systems: 



• Floating shedders are the most economical shedding 

 systems. Shallow trays, often four feet by eight feet by 

 twelve inches deep, are anchored in a creek or sound. Water 

 flows in and out of the tray through openings in its sides and 

 bottom. Floats keep the shedder's bottom a few inches 

 below the water's surface. 



Floating shedders are a good choice if you have water- 

 front property and conditions suitable for shedding crabs — 

 clean, brackish water with tidal or wave action sufficient to 

 aerate the shedder. These systems can house as many as 500 



The crab pot 



A crab pot can trap 10 to 12 crabs in 

 several hours during warm weather. 

 Built of wire mesh and baited with 

 fish heads or fish remains, the trap is 

 designed to allow an easy entrance, 

 but a difficult escape, for the crab. 



