Crab season is now open

Higher crab prices may indicate crab numbers down

Virginia’s peeler crab season opened on Monday, April 15, as area watermen set pots on the Rappahannock and Piankatank rivers to gauge the number of crabs moving around.

“I have seen a few signs in restaurant windows advertising they have soft-shells on the menu,” said J.C. Hudgins, president of the Virginia Waterman’s Association. He is also a crabber/waterman.

“It is too early to tell how the season is going, but when enough pots get in the water, we will be able to tell what the crabs are doing,” he said.

Virginia’s crab pot season opened on March 17 and Hudgins has been working in that fishery. “I’ve been working off Hole in the Wall (near Gwynn’s Island) and catching about four baskets a day. The market prices have been holding good as I’ve been getting between $70 and $100 for a bushel of sooks (female crabs) and $100 to $150 a bushel for jimmies (male crabs).”

Hudgins said that because prices of crabs are staying high is probably an indication that there are not many crabs being caught throughout the bay. He also noted that the State of Maryland’s crab pot season just opened and that will “most likely” bring the price of crabs down.

Waterman Joey Williams of T.M. Williams & Son Seafood Inc. in Remlik said that he believes the recent cool, rainy and windy weather has kept crabs from moving around.

“It is too early to tell about peelers, but I have not seen many sheds along the shoreline.” That would be an indicator that there are not many peeler crabs around yet.

“As far as hard crabs, we have been fishing a few pots off Urbanna Creek and catching a few crabs here and there. The nice thing about what we are catching is the price. We’ve been averaging about four bushels a day — getting $100 a bushel for sooks and $200 for jimmies.”

“The further we get into the season prices will go down,” he said.

“I’d rather catch just a few crabs and get a good price, than catch a boatload and get pennies for my crabs.”

Menhaden scarcity concerning

One of Williams’ concerns is that there were very few menhaden caught in his nets in the early spring. Williams fished four gill nets in March to catch menhaden fish for bait that normally would last most of the season.

“We fished our nets every day for six days and caught six bushels of menhaden,” he said.

“We caught so few we pulled the nets up. Last year in March we caught 600 bushels a week. What that means is that we will be spending a lot more money on bait this year,” said Williams.