Popular Posts

Thursday, March 30, 2017

As crab season beckons, some watermen hope for new rules to bolster their harvest

Joel Hayden's investment, tens of thousands of dollars' worth of yellow-painted wire cages, is spread across his lawn in neat stacks. Just beyond the water's edge, his paycheck is burrowed in the mud.

It's the eve of blue crab season for watermen like the 28-year-old Hoopers Island native, and he is sparing no expense to prepare. After all, here at the southern edge of Maryland's share of the Chesapeake Bay, there is only a short springtime window before the biggest crabs head north to fresher waters.

Next month, Hayden will begin scattering hundreds of the handmade crab pots around nearby creeks. If there are as many of the blue-legged crustaceans as watermen and scientists expect, it will be a busy start to the season.

More

2 comments:

  1. Yep yep yep yep...our Assawoman Bay buddy is just bustin his gut to get out there and litter his pots from the Route 90 bridge north toward Delaware for his 6 weeks of joy and my 6 weeks of cryin cuz it'll minimize my crabbing in the bay.

    Oh well, I make fun in jest cuz he's making a living doing what he love. I do wave to him and his crew of boats while fishing, cuz that's what I love to do! NOW LEAVE ME A FEW CRABS DAMMIT!

    TGIF and April is here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Careful what you ask for watermen. Abundant harvest always means lower prices. No crabs=high prices, lots of crabs=lower prices. Can't have it both ways, lots of crabs & high prices.

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.