Crabs fetch cash for 4th

They're scarce and price is high

Friday, July 3, 2009

The price for a bushel of No. 1 male crabs, preferred for steaming and picking, ranged Thursday from $150 to $165 in survey of five local seafood retailers.

According to some retailers, crabs had been plentiful until the last two weeks, but others say it has been hard to find enough crabs all summer.

"This year, it started off real good," said Robert Smith, manager of Kellam Seafood in Ridge. But then, Smith said, the repeated thunderstorms diluted the local waterways, causing the crabs to move out to deeper water.

Smith said algae blooms have also been blocking sunlight, preventing water grasses from resupplying the water with oxygen.

"The crabs don't particularly like that."

Smith said the county needs a stiff northwest wind to blow the algae offshore and let the local waters breath again. He also said that crabs are usually scarce this time of year.

"It does this pretty much every year," Smith said. "It's a little bit worse this year. There's no reason to panic. It's like the weather. It changes."

Pat Wathen, manager of Capt. Pat's Seafood in Lexington Park, echoed Smith's assessment, saying, "I've had good availability all year. Of course, around the holiday, it falls off."

Frances Gray, manager of Leonard Copsey Seafood Market in Mechanicsville, said she had yet to set her price for the weekend.

She said that she believed she'd have to raise her price for the weekend, depending on how much her supplier charges.

"I'm waiting on a delivery this morning," Gray said Thursday. "The crabs are scarce this week … When the supply is down and demand is up, you know how that works."

Two other retailers said their supply has been skimpy all year.

Paul Thompson, manager of Seafood Corner Market in Mechanicsville said it has been "real hard, real hard" to get crabs recently. "It's terrible out," he said.

Francis Herbert, manager of Thompson's Seafood in Colton's Point, said the crab market has been "right hard."

"Ain't no crabs," Herbert said. "It's been like that all season."

John Lallande of Ridge lives on St. Jerome Creek, five miles north of Point Lookout. Lallande reported that his recreational crabbing efforts were slow until mid-June, but the crabs have been "reasonably plentiful" since then.

Lallande said he and his children have had no problem selecting a crab feast from their crab pot and chicken-necking catches.

jfriess@somdnews.com