DSK wrote:
Since the advent of extremely cheap seafood flown in from Asia, we've
had far less of a crab pot & net problem, cruising around here. But a
summer cruise up your way sounds like would be great fun.


Jere Lull wrote:
If I remember correctly that you're on the Chesapeake, it's because the
crabbers overfished for about a decade. There just aren't many crabs to
be had, so many have gotten out of the biz.


No, we're a bit further south but the crabs here are just as
good. The NC sounds have suffered a bit more degradation but
not been quite as heavily overfished. Frankly (and I say
this looking over my shoulder to make sure no fishermen are
listening) it's darn good thing to let the crabs & fish
alone for a few generations to recover.

Virginia & Marylands answer to the decline in catch has been
to increase the licenses... IIRC there are about 10X as many
licensed crab traps as there were three or four years ago...
and probably the fiscal pressure has led to many people
setting increased numbers of unlicensed traps. So it's a
relief to hear that many are leaving the business.

It's a shame that people have to give up a long honored way
of life, but hey times change. I can't expect to make a
living the way grandfather did, so I'm not too sympathetic
to the plea 'my daddy was a fisherman and so wuzz his daddy.'

Besides, the bays & rivers are a public resource... I own
just as much of it as they do, and they don't pay me a penny
for taking valuable stuff out of my share.

Regards
Doug King