September 19, 1996 - Hard Facts About Soft-Shell Crabs6A • The Suffolk Times • September 19, 1996
Hard Facts About Soft -Shell Crabs
As the summer winds die down, it's
usually time for our blue crabs to show
up. So I found a night that the wind
wasn't blowing and the tide was about
right and gave it a try. Much to my sur-
prise, I found the crabbing quite good. So
when the family heard about it, they
wanted to "get into the act," too. We went
out fishing and swimming daring the day
so we had to rush back to eat and collect
all the equipment to get out
crabbing as early as we could
in order to get the young ones
back before bedtime.
It's an exciting experience
for anyone and I know it's
doubly exciting for those who
first experience this ancient
craft of firelighting. I'm sure
the Indians practiced it. I can
just imagine those hearty
natives with their burning torches and
bare feet walking along the shallows with
spears and clubs stalking anything that
moved. Before our creeks were dredged,
there were shallow expanses of water
with sandbars and mud flats that let you
wander almost anywhere in their produc-
tive waters.
As a young person who spent the sum-
mer months down on the bay or in the
creeks, I can vouch for their produc-
tiveness and like many knew the best spots
for clamming, oystering and, of course,
crabbing. For some reason in those days
we always went crabbing during the day-
time. We'd tie an old washtub to our waist,
put on an old pair of sneakers and grab our
favorite crab net. Then we were off to
explore the many special spots we knew
that produced crabs. The marsh edge and
the areas nearby were the best for me.
Walk Around For Crabs
When the tide went out, you'd usually
be walking in water no deeper than your
knees. You'd poke here and there and see
crabs walking about and just instinctively
know where others would be hiding.
There always seemed to be crabs about
and "softies" were a common oc-
currence. Once I caught 20 of them in
one outing and peddled them for 25 cents
a piece —big money in those days.
The females were always sheltered by
a big male crab. Often you'd get them
both in the hard stage because the female
was getting ready to shed and the male
knew it and carried her around until the
shedding took place. Then in this soft
state she would stay protected from
predators under the male until her shell
hardened. Then she would be released
and ready for her task of incubating her
eggs, which she held underneath her.
Here they are carried until the time is
ready for their hatching,
when they will swim away.
Out of the hundreds and hun-
dreds of eggs only a few will
ever reach maturity for the
"sea soup" of living organ-
isms is the food for many.
And so we see the female
crab has her protection from
the many predators lurking
about (other crabs, eels, fish,
etc.) from an adult male crab, but who
protects the male crab when he becomes
soft? All crabs must shed to grow. Re-
member, we humans and most animals
have our skeletons inside of us, but crabs
have an outside skeleton that, once hard,
cannot expand as the crab grows.
To rid itself of this old smaller skele-
ton, it must shed the confining shell and
come out and expand into its new and
bigger size. This is when the crab leaves
its old shell behind and grows. Male
crabs do this all by themselves with no
one to protect them through this vulnera-
ble period. They must find a spot away
from predators, once out of their shell,
and wait for their softness to harden.
Focus
on
Nature
by Paul
Stoutenburgh
Soft Crabs Put in Pens
Knowing this procedure for crabs, bay -
men in the south take advantage of this
and have learned the secrets of when a
crab is ready to shed. They separate the
"shedders" from the other crabs by
putting them in special pens, which they
inspect every day. The ones that shed are
taken out, packaged and shipped to mar-
ket. The others will wait in pens until
they shed and then they'll be picked out
and sent off.
Up here we do not have the quantity of
crabs that they have in the Chesapeake
and Delaware areas and so here we have
to be content with catching an occasional
"softy" when we are out crabbing. We'll
■ ....L Ddp%. V
75 Years Ago
Sept. 16, 1921
Wanted: Shorefront or near shorefront property of one
to three acres with house (not less than three bedrooms).
Improvements not essential. Not more than three miles from
railroad nor one mile from stores. Price not over $6,000.
Shelter Island News: Plans are being made to
make some alterations in the interior of the library. The col-
lection of books has grown so large that more shelf space is
necessary. A cellar is also being dug so that a heating sys-
tem may be installed. The number of books now on the
shelves is over 7,000 and these are continually being
increased by gifts and by purchases made several times
each year by the library.
Advertisement: If you have quarreled with her,
make it up by giving her one of Moorby's handsome pearl
necklaces. Their pearls are perfectly matched. They also
carry very fine imitation pearls that only experts can distin-
guish from the genuine. Nothing will please her more than
'their pearls. Moorby's Jewelry Shop, Greenport.
50 Years Ago
Sept. 20, 1946
Medical Costs Go Up: It's going to be more
expensive to be ill. The high cost of living has hit the medi-
cal profession which within its organized ranks has found
Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh
LOCAL CRABS —A crab grows each time it molts or sheds it old shell. We
get our best crabbing at the end of the season just before they go into the
mud where they'll spend the winter.
get a lot of doubles, the male and female
hard crabs, but we always separate them
and throw the little shedders back. She'll
find another friend, I'm sure, to protect
her and mate with.
Back to our crabbing trip in the creek.
All was ready and darkness had taken
over. The night sounds of crickets and
tree frogs were letting us know this was a
quiet night and a good one for crabbing.
Of course, the young ones had their
flashlights and were constantly on the
move and were doing their damedest to
blind us as we tried to get squared away
in the boat.
It wasn't long before we saw our first
crab, a double, and it came dripping with
mud and seaweed. You really have to
have an old boat to go crabbing in, for
crabbing is a messy affair. Everything
seems to get covered with dripping mud
and seaweed. Once the crab is in the
boat, the flashlights go on and the eyes
are eager to see the prize. Separating the
big male from the little hard shedder took
some doing but it was all part of the
adventure of the night.
Then new things came into view. A
green garfish or bill eel lazily drifted
close to the surface and anxious young
the remedy by jacking up fees for office and house calls.
If it's a simple cold and you feel you need medical aid,
it'll cost you $3 to see the Doc at his office. If that cold
keeps you at home, and you ask the doctor to come to you,
he'll charge you $4 during the day, or $5 if you have the
misfortune to become ill at night. The new scale was
announced last week by the secretary of the Suffolk County
Medical Society.
25 Years Ago
[Sept. 16, 1971
Orient News: Orient's own Robert Berks had the
honor of unveiling his bust of John F. Kennedy at the open-
ing ceremonies at the JFK Center for Performing Arts on
Sept. 8. Congratulations to this fine sculptor.
Sauerkraut Crackdown: (Excerpt from a special
section outlining proposed zoning ordinances for Southold
Town) If you think a seven -page "legal notice" of proposed
ordinances is all dull reading, we dare you to read on. There
isn't a "whereas" and there is only one "hereby" in the
whole ordinance.
Those who read on will learn that the town is cracking
down on the manufacture of sauerkraut — that's one of the
things for which a special permit must be obtained. And
you'll also need a special permit to manufacture or treat
chewing tobacco, rubber or gutta- percha ... whatever that is.
netters tried to catch it with much splash-
ing and "Oh, gee, I missed it!" and
"There he goes!" Then a crab would
come aboard with more squeals and
flashlights flashing about. Once -dry
pants and shoes were soon splattered
with wet mud and seaweed. Little fish
that were later identified as snappers
darted below as we glided by. Everything
was up for grabs and flying nets went in
pursuit.
The most unusual find of the evening
was a boxfish that resembled somewhat
our common blowfish. It came aboard
blown up with large spikes bristling
about its tennis - ball -size body. It uses
this method of inflating to prevent preda-
tors from swallowing it and we could see
why, with its solid mass of tiny spikes
around it. We'd keep it alive for my
daughter's saltwater aquarium in her
classroom.
Slowly we worked the creek edge.
Slowly we added to our basket of snap-
ping, crunching crabs. The dampness of
the night wrapped us in wetness but no
one seemed to care. A softy was brought
aboard and hesitant testing fingers
touched the softness of this new shiny
crab that had just come out of its shell.
The wonder and questions of the young
filled the air. Our night would yield us a
mess of good eating tomorrow. The
bright -red cooked crabs would be spread
on newspapers and all would dig into one
of the East End's great treats, a true crab
feast with fresh corn and sizzling drinks.
P. S. It's against the law to take female
crabs in our local waters.
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