October 09, 1997 - Where Do Little Crabs Come From6A • The Suffolk Times • October 9, 1997
Where Do Little Crabs Come From?
Years ago it seemed you could catch
crabs all summer long in our creeks.
Today it seems the only time I've been
able to get a "mess" of blue claws is in the
fall but then again it might be because
that's when we start firelighting for eels
and see the crabs.
Last year was one
of our best fall Focus
crabbing seasons
in years. This year, on
and I've only been
out once, has start- Nature
ed off slowly. by Pall
Nevertheless we
did catch half a St0ute11bW9h
dozen big male
crabs or "jimmies," as they call them in
the Chesapeake.
What was missing besides more crabs
was the sight of any male crabs carrying
female crabs. When we catch these "dou-
bles" we know if the small female is hard -
shelled, she will soon shed her shell and
become a soft crab. All crabs, male and
female, shed their shells to grow. Most
animal skeletons are inside the body and
as the animal grows, so does the skeleton.
Not so with crabs. They only grow when
they shed out of their hard shell into the
soft state. When very young, they shed
every three to five days but as they grow
older the shedding process slows down
until the older crabs molt only once or
twice a season and even then the process
of shedding becomes much more difficult
and time- consuming.
It's in the soft state that the crabs are
most vulnerable to predators such as fish,
eels, other crabs and, of course, man. All
relish this gourmet delight. A female crab
mates only once in a lifetime. She gives
off a signal to the male crab that brings
him into action. He seeks out the sexually
ready female and carries her beneath him -
for a period of time (two to three days)
until the female is ready to shed. Then,
with the female attached, the male seeks
out a hiding place amongst the grasses or
debris in the bay or creek to hide and wait.
The process of getting out of that hard
shell takes time and it's during this period
of weakness that the protecting male crab
is most important.
Immediately after the female sheds,
that used a special white gas that you
had to pump air into to vaporize it into a
gas. These gas lights are still used today
and give a good steady light. Our latest
wrinkle in the pursuit of the elusive eel
was to use a hand -held spotlight hooked
up to a 12 -volt battery. With the light in
one hand and the spear in the other, bal-
ancing in the bow of the boat really
takes some doing, but once mastered the
With the portable light, you can cover
a greater area and if you are good you
can bring in many a slimy, wiggly eel.
Now the real fun begins. Getting the
muddy, slippery eel off the spear while
you are holding a light in one hand, turn-
ing and slipping about in the boat takes a
great deal of skill plus a lot of luck. In the
meantime the boat is moving ahead and
the eel's not coming off the spear no mat-
ter how you shake it
or what you do. You
shake, hit, pull —
the eel still holds
on, wound tightly
around your spear.
There are usually a
few choice words
spoken and if luck
is with you the eel
comes off and
drops into the buck-
et. If luck isn't with
you, the eel still
comes off but this
time it's in the bot-
tom of the boat,
which now has wa-
ter in it from all the
thrashing about
you've been doing.
Needless to say,
mud has been
splashed all about
and clumps of sea
lettuce lie scattered
here and there.
Once the eel is
freed in one manner or another, you gain
your stance once more at the bow of the
boat like some victorious Viking and scan
the murky waters ahead for your next eel.
This is not for everyone. Believe me. It's
a wild experience but one worth the effort
if you don't mind your boat getting a bit
grimy, yourself included.
At any rate, crabs and eels seem to go
together at this time of the year. One has
to put a bit of effort into it but in the end it
all seems worthwhile. It is just one more
reason we want to make sure our creeks
and bays are looked after properly. The
loss of them to pollution would be a
tragedy for all and a loss of a valuable nat-
ural resource.
■
bet s LvvK DRUB
75 Years Ago
Oct. 6, 1922
Bumper Tomato Crop; Price Low: The farmers
of Orient are throwing away many bushels of tomatoes a day
because of the low price. Some fanners received only 75
cents per crate. Hundreds of acres were planted because of the
big demand. A number of the farmers are letting the crop rot
in the lots.
Advertisement: Faithful service, low costs stand out
in the Hupmobile. Everywhere the Hupmobile is a favorite
because it possesses certain qualities to such a degree that
they seem to be peculiarly its own. Its faithfulness and low
costs are outstanding. It combines desirable elements of com-
fort, appearance and performance to practically the same
degree as cars of far higher price.
Touring car, $1,150; roadster, $1,150; roadster coupe,
$1,335; coupe, $1,635; sedan, $1,785. Vail Bros., Peconic.
50 Years Ago
Sept. 26, 1947
The Power of Song: The American people dearly
love to sing. Enthusiasm can be promoted at almost any sort
of meeting by starting people on favorite and popular songs.
If some community singing books are brought out with many
familiar melodies, people will take hold and sing with a will.
Such singing is a feature at no end of club and organization
Suffolk Times photo by Barbara Stoutenburgh
RABS— Female crabs mate just once in a lifetime. It is dur-
stage that mating takes place. Usually the big male crab
I carries the soft female below him until her shell hardens
later.
results are worthwhile.
The sand spear that we use has a series
of long eighth -inch by six- inch -long steel
points attached to an eight -inch base. This
whole thing is attached to a long wooden
pole. The other kind of spear you see
around is the- mud spear. It's designed
mainly for blind spearing in the mud, and
is used usually in the winter when the eels
are hibernating in the soft ooze below.
You choose a likely spot and then from a
boat, or from a hole in the ice when the
creek is frozen over, you jab away blindly
in hopes of striking an eel. Once you have
struck home you pull the spear back
which then impales the eel on the reverse
points.
meetings and special occasions. There are many familiar
songs which the majority of people can sing with enthusiasm.
Such singing makes a fine preliminary if any sort of serious
subject is to be taken up. Or it is just nice to start the singing
just to satisfy the love for the familiar melodies and people
leave such occasions with a feeling of happiness.
25 Years Ago
Oct. 12, 1972
Bad Weather at Oyster Fest: The foul stormy
weather Saturday cast its cloud over attendance at
Greenport's Oyster Festival. Slightly fewer than 1,800 bought
tickets at the door. This did not include advance ticket sales
nor those given the 150 scientists at the Aquaseum's confer-
ence. They arrived at the Legion Ha] in slickers and rain hats,
fighting southeast winds.
"We were very happy with the turnout under the circum-
stances, said John Plock of Shelter Island Oyster Company.
"Under the conditions Saturday morning we didn't know
whether anyone would be able to get there. We'll just say an
extra prayer for good weather next year."
More than 400 persons had been expected on a Long Island
Rail Road excursion, which the railroad canceled Saturday
morning in view of washouts at the western end of Long Island.
Even so, the attendance was steady during the day, and those
who did attend found preparations had been well organized.
Cover Contest
For Students
MATTITUCK —Student artists of
all ages are invited to compete in a
contest that will determine the cover
of the 1997 Times/Review Holiday
Guide.
A $100 cash prize will be awarded
to the artist whose work is selected.
Entries can be in any medium but
must be colorful, with a nonreligious
winter/holioay theme, and in a verti-
cal format.
Entries must be delivered to the
Times /Review building on the Main
Road in Mattituck by 5 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 22.
All submissions can be picked up
after the Holiday Guide is published
on Nov. 20.
Thank you
for reading
The Suffolk Times