crabbing knowledge

[KarenLee]

a couple of questions:

1) You should crab only in months with an R, such as March, April not May or June. True or False and Why.

2) Do not crab on a red tide. How do you know when there is a red tide?

3)What is the biological cycle of a crab. growth and when they mult there shells.

4) Do different bodies of water (Astoria, T-bay, Nehalem, Newport) have the same timing for crabbing seasons or cycles.

I guess thats enough for now.

Thanks in advance. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[Jeffhead]

Well KL,
Don't know about Oregon crabs (except I've heard they will jump 3 ft hehehe [img]images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] ) but Washington crabbing on the Hood Canal opened 6 weeks early last Friday as the crabs have finished molting. Went out with my Dad off of the Tahuya River and picked up 6 nice Dungee's in about 4 hours of crabbin'. Could have got more, but I don't believe in takin' more than what we are gonna eat. Had a crab and sockeye salmon feed on Saturday with my Wife, Folks and Cousins husband (No Redneck we didn't get friendly!!! [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]), pretty darn tasty stuff!!! If you can crab right after the molting phase there usually grow at least an inch in the molting process.
Good luck and tight lines, Jeff [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[Phish_on]

now correct me if I'm wrong

I think the "R" deal is for oysters !?

Summer time is molting time ? Around Astoria anyway, a lot of soft shells in June and July. By the time the coho hit the river in August there are plenty of good crabbies, still a few soft ones.

The "red tide" alerts are usually pretty well publicized, isn't that more about clams, mussels, etc.? Plankton-feeders? I tried to find the appropriate web-site, I couldn't!
(Stand by for edits!)

Most importantly, fresh crab is very delicious!

[ 06-05-2001: Message edited by: Phish_on ]

[PeterMac]

I am pretty sure that the reference to "R" months is septembeR, octobeR, novembeR and DecembeR. That is when the crab tend to be in the best shape. Am I correct??

PeterMac


Long time no post.

[ol tuna skipper]

well at least there is concensus that we are not sure. Any marine biologists on this message board.

I was told the R thing was for crab. They didn't specify that the month had to end in R and I assumed it meant any month with R. I know Sept. through Dec. are usually full crabs and plenty of them.

Just my guess adn second hand info

[Grits]

1) False I think. In the winter (months with R's) the crabs have more meat and the meat taste better in my opinion but I have crabbed all year long. I tend not toharvest very many in the summer because they are soft shelled and don't taste as good. The only thing I know you aren't supposed to eat when a month HAS an R in it are crawdads. They are really black and have worms all over them.

2. Dont know on the red tide. I do know you arent supposed to go clamming on a red tide.

3. Dont know much about their life cycle.

4.As far as timing for different bodies of water the only piece I watch for is how effected by rain an area is. Freshwater in the bay/river tends to push them out of the bay/river. Some areas arent as affected because they don't have as many rivers feeding them or the area gets plenty of salt water to keep the crabs in the area.

This seems like a good question for Pilar or BOE to give an opinion on since they both do a lot of crabbing.

[Pilar]

More folk lore .........

I heard the 'R' month thing when I was a pup in Northern Florida. The old boys were talking about the Oyster spawn. Every summer in bays that are warm enough oysters spawn during the months that lack an 'R'. As a result oyster picking is closed much of the summer. Spawning oysters are milky and taste bad.

Up north on the Pacific coast the bays are small and get chilled on every tide with 50 degree Pacific water because they completely drain and refill. As a result they never get above the required 70 degree spawning trigger for oysters. Most of the Oysters farmed on the North coast come from Hood Canal spawned shells planted on beds. Hood canal oysters spawn every August. The bags of shells you see along the road by the Tillamook oyster houses are for the annual August spawn. They are trucked to Hood canal and laid out along the beaches so the little oysters can stick to the shells. Then they are brought back here and planted on beds in the bay.

The Japanese oysters we grow here need the warm water to spawn. This is why we have had no wild oysters in Oregon since they were commercial fished away in the early 20th century.

Crabs molt several times a year. The way I understand it, this is mainly during the summer months. Personal anecdotal observation makes me think the phases of the moon are significant. I find alot of soft crabs after the full moon tides. It seems the # of hard crabs goes up in the week before the full moon tides.

In other words they come in on the big tide, molt and hang in the bay until the shells harden.

The crab is always better in the winter because they don't molt as often. As a result the shells are packed full of meat.

Red tide ........
Is a plankton bloom that features a type of plankton that is toxic. It does not hurt the shellfish but they concentrate the toxin. Any Apex predator consuming shellfish with redtide concentrates it further, resulting in illness. This toxicity is a temporary condition and it dissipates after the redtide goes away. The shellfish is edible again after a period of time. Crabs eat clams but I don't believe they are affected by the red tide.

Whew ......... any one else? There's my $1.02 worth of folklore.

[Hookset]

Folklore, maybe maybe not.

From what I remember. The "R" thing is what Petermac said, it's the months that end in R that are supposed to be the best. The shells are hard, meat is full and more crabs enter the bays during this time. Just as long as the salinety is up and freshwater is minimal.

The red tide effects the shell fish and crabbing still takes place during the alert. Every year lately there are closures.

Not sure about molting, thought the crab molt twice a year. Usually start in early spring and into summer.

I know there is some published information.

I tell you what, I've crabbed since I was just a young lad and sorry to say, just can't remember enough details why I do the things I do concerning crabbing. Guess I just take them for granted.

I do remember August and September being very good crab months and the worse was February and March.

who's next?

hook

[ 06-05-2001: Message edited by: hookset ]

[BUGLEMAN]

WDFW web site has excellent crab life cycle etc. info. For that matter it has excellent info on salmon, smelt etc. Then there is Oregon ...sigh...

[KarenLee]

Now this kind of post is what I like to read and learn from. Thank you everyone for the input. Once again the knowledge of many is greater than the knowledge of a few.

[myco-mike]

KarenLee - Great Questions. had to pull out some reference material to find the answers for myself. here is what I come up with.
1. Quoted from John A. Johnson p.51 "Dungeness crabs start their life as a free-swimming larval form called a megalops which are comsumed by pratically every fish species in the sea. By the end of their first year of life they have shed several shells, a process called "moling". they shed thier shels less frequently during their second and third years of life and reach full body size and weight by their forth year. They often live to be 10 years old. The larger crabs most frequenlty "molt" in late summer and fall months and thier shells are often soft at this time and should be released upon capture."
2. Pilar has the "Red tide" thing pegged.
3. See no.1.
4. We have had the best success near high or low slack tide. I prefer a high low tide/low high tide series. I know the higher the salinity the better the crabbing. I think that is why late July and August have been so good.

Good luck! [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]