{"id":11022,"date":"2019-06-08T14:22:45","date_gmt":"2019-06-08T18:22:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/?page_id=11022"},"modified":"2024-08-20T13:11:36","modified_gmt":"2024-08-20T17:11:36","slug":"gone-crabbin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/gone-crabbin\/","title":{"rendered":"Coastal Currents: Gone Crabbin’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n

Recreational crabbers play a role in responsibly harvesting crabs and managing gear.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blue crabbing with family and friends is a popular coastal North Carolina pastime. And there\u2019s more than one way to catch a crab. So-called \u201cchicken-neckers,\u201d for instance, tie a weighted string around \u2014 you guessed it \u2014 a chicken neck (or other bony part) and drop it in the water. Others sneak up on their catch with a dip net. But many people set a pot and check back later for the goods. If you prefer the pot, read on for more information on harvesting and gear management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Know Your Crab<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
Lower-right photo by David Saddler<\/a>\/flickr\/CC BY 2.0<\/a>; all other photos by Steven C. Zinski\/bluecrab.info<\/a>.<\/em>
UPPER LEFT: \u2022 Sex:<\/strong> Male \u2022 Nickname:<\/strong> \u201cJimmy\u201d \u2022 Claws:<\/strong> Blue \u2022 Abdomen:<\/strong> Washington monument shape \u2022 Harvest limit:<\/strong> Legal minimum size is five inches
UPPER RIGHT: Sex:<\/strong> Immature female \u2022 Nickname:<\/strong> \u201cSally\u201d or \u201cshe-crab\u201d \u2022 Claws:<\/strong> Red tips \u2022 Abdomen:<\/strong> Pyramidal shape \u2022 Harvest limit:<\/strong> Unlawful to take
BOTTOM LEFT: \u2022 Sex:<\/strong> Mature female Nickname:<\/strong> \u201cSook\u201d \u2022 Claws:<\/strong> Red \u2022 Abdomen:<\/strong> Capitol dome shape \u2022 Harvest limit:<\/strong> No size limit
BOTTOM RIGHT: \u2022 Sex:<\/strong> Female with eggs \u2022 Nickname:<\/strong> \u201cSponge crab\u201d \u2022 Claws:<\/strong> Red \u2022 Abdomen:<\/strong> Covered with yellow-orange, brown or black egg mass \u2022 Harvest limit:<\/strong> Outside of April, all sponge crabs legal; in April, only sponge crabs with a yellow-orange egg mass are legal.
Harvest limits above apply to hard-shell crabs<\/em>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Before harvesting blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus<\/em>), know which ones are legal to keep. A crab\u2019s sex and general age can be determined by the color of its claws and the shape of its abdomen, or apron. Crabs are measured from point to point across the widest part of their shell, or carapace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tending Your Pot<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As a recreational crabber, you can set one pot without a license. You can set up to five with a license.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Based on data from coastal recreational fishing license holders, recreational crabbers brought in an average of nearly 31,400 pounds of crab a year from 2011 to 2017, according to the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries<\/a>. The amount doesn\u2019t account for crabbers fishing without licenses, however.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While that number is hard to pin down, a 2002 survey by researchers at East Carolina University<\/a> and supported by North Carolina Sea Grant<\/a> indicated that about 5,500 recreational crabbers who were legally fishing without licenses hauled in close to 280,000 pounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By comparison, the commercial blue crab harvest averaged over 27 million pounds annually from 2008 to 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRecreational crabbers represent only a tiny fraction of the harvest and pots in the water, when you compare it with commercial enterprises,\u201d says Gloria Putnam, North Carolina Sea Grant\u2019s coastal resources and communities specialist. \u201cBut each of us \u2014 every angler, crabber \u2014 has the opportunity to contribute to resource and seafood conservation through attentive gear practices.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The beauty of a crab pot is that you can walk away from it for a while. But don\u2019t set it and forget it. Instead:<\/p>\n\n\n\n