. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. A newly shed crab being readied for market. salt marshes, sea grasses and estuaries create prime habitat for blue crabs. Their bounty has placed North Caro- lina in the top three crab-producing states on the East Coast for the past 20 years. The state follows Virginia and Maryland, says Mike Street of the Division of Marine Fisheries. Last year, crabbers landed more than 41 million pounds valued at $9 million in the state, DMF reports. The abundance of crabs and a vear- round fishery in some parts lur
. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. A newly shed crab being readied for market. salt marshes, sea grasses and estuaries create prime habitat for blue crabs. Their bounty has placed North Caro- lina in the top three crab-producing states on the East Coast for the past 20 years. The state follows Virginia and Maryland, says Mike Street of the Division of Marine Fisheries. Last year, crabbers landed more than 41 million pounds valued at $9 million in the state, DMF reports. The abundance of crabs and a vear- round fishery in some parts lure crab fishermen to the water like fish to fresh bait. In 1991, 7,605 commercial fishermen acquired state licenses to set an estimated 623,450 crab pots in North Carolina waters. Another 1,671 trawled for crabs. The year before, DMF licensed 7,511 fishing vessels for crabbing. Most crabbers, like Howell, work on their own, setting and checking crab pots almost every day. Some man larger boats — 25 to 75 feet — to trawl for crabs with large fishing nets. Less than a handful crab the old-timey way, using a line of string called a trotline to tempt crabs with dangling baits. Crabbers comb the shoals of Pamlico, Albemarle, Croatan and Core sounds, as well as coastal rivers such as the Neuse and the Pamlico. On White Oak River, Howell begins his rounds alone this March morning, except for one other crabber half a mile away. A flannel- lined jacket, sturdy orange waders, boots and an East Carolina Univer- sity baseball cap protect him from the cold as he guides his skiff around the shoals. The abundance of crabs and a year-round fishery lure crab fishermen to the water like fish to fresh bait. In peak season, from April to October, about 50 crabbers work this river and Bogue Sound, Howell explains. This morning, they know most pots would come up empty. March's cold weather sends most blue crabs burrowing in the muddy bottomland. Males, especially, winter in the deeper, fresher wa
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookcollectionunclibra, booksubjectoceanography
