Wed Night/Thurs Morn @ Lynnhaven Pier

[peanut1181]

Good morning board,
I got in from the Lynnhaven Pier @ about 4:30 this morning and now at 6:00am I have just finished cleaning my fish and steaming my crabs to pick later today.  Personally, I didn't do so hot with the fishing thing.  I only ended up with a few small spot and one monster Croaker  Others down at the end of the pier were leaving with 5 gallon buckets full to the top of spot.  I mean they were packing 'em in.  It wasn't until the tide had shifted and everything slowed down that I realized they were biting on bloodworms & not the squid I was using.  Oh well, I'll get 'em next week.  I faired a little better on the crabbing however.  Everything I caught was female... and I do mean EVERYTHING!  Not one male the entire night.  I started out the night catching nothing but about 4 - 4.5 inch sponge crabs, most of which were the bright orange in color and so were legal to keep.  I decided I would rather let them go and hold out for the males, but none ever showed up.  So eventually I decided to take a few of them(8 i think) but probably let about 30+ of 'em go.  I ended up with 13 females that I kept(8 sponge, 5 not).  Anyway, in the time I was there I probably could have come away with almost 4 dozen 4-4.5 inch crabs, but decided to let the females go for future crabbing ventures.  Oh, and I also caught 4 hermit crabs. They are neat little critters!  I think I'll go back next week when the water is less murky and I can get there in time to catch the incoming tide.  I just thought I'd share with everyone.  Good luck folks.

Peanut1181

[crabsrlicious]

Good for you peanut....we all thank you for throwing the snooks back!!

[crazy crabber]

 I decided to take a few of them(8 i think) but probably let about 30+ of 'em go.  I ended up with 13 females that I kept(8 sponge, 5 not).  , but decided to let the females go for future crabbing ventures.  

Peanut1181

Sorry don't take offence to this.
I'm confused, You say you released them for future crabs but you kept 13 females 8 pregnant ones and 5 not, correct.

Why would you keep 8 sponge crabs? That's crazy! Each one of those sponge crabs releases about 2 million eggs and the mortality rate is 1-2 crabs to survive per million.I love eating crabs too but keeping females never mind sponge crabs in my opinion is wrong.

Dude please don't take offence to this, I'm just telling you how I feel.

Here is an article on spawning blue crabs   http://www.blue-crab.org/spawning.htm

Dude it's up 2 people like us that love crabbing to do everything we can to keep crabbing going for years on in.Hey your choice is your own, I'm just saying how I feel. good day

[kingcrabber]

don't apologize CrazyC....keeping sponge crabs is STUPID ..period...

[peanut1181]

Crazy,
Thanks for the response.  I have no problem listening to opinions or constructive criticism as long as it is passed along in a respectful manner.  You did that very well so there is no need to apologize.  Thanks for sharing your opinion and the educational article.  Perhaps in the future I will do things differently.  


KC,
As I said to Crazy, I am open to opinions and criticism as long as they are conveyed respectfully.  You, however, decided to just rant and make a rash comment.  Perhaps in the future you will consider approaching such a situation as Crazy did and state your opinion respectfully and offer some information to inform and educate.  Most people respond to this approach much better and much more is accomplished.


Thanks,
Peanut1181

[kingcrabber]

KC,
As I said to Crazy, I am open to opinions and criticism as long as they are conveyed respectfully.  You, however, decided to just rant and make a rash comment.  Perhaps in the future you will consider approaching such a situation as Crazy did and state your opinion respectfully and offer some information to inform and educate.  Most people respond to this approach much better and much more is accomplished.


Thanks,
Peanut1181

Peanut...i made a point...plain and simple ..that's my way,and my perogative...you thought it was "a rant and rash comment",thats your perogative....

[crabbin bull]

I agree with KC all the way. No females at all. Just my point of view.

[DTownCrabber]

KC....You da man baby!! Tell it like it is....PERIOD!

[Joe Crabs]

Peanuts, I have already sated my opinion on this subject so I won't vent my anger on it . Maybe you didn't realize it or maybe you are the type that says it's only a few it don't matter. And the latter is the attitude that gets nothing done and makes the problem worse. Maybe if you are getting all females where you are at you should find a new location. It is probably too saline, the males will go for more brackish water. You are in your legal rights to keep them, just don't complain when you are catching spider crabs instead of blueclaws.

[Black Irish]

Peanut, here's a post of mine made sometime ago. Allow me to digress and post it again:

A female crab produces anywhere from 750k to 8 million eggs. On the average, from every millon eggs produced, only one (1) will reach maturity. So each female hypothetically produces 7 to 8 surviving offspring. Now do a little math...

If you throw back a dozen females:
The first year they will produce 12x8=96 crabs (1 bushel).
The second year, half of that bushel (50% females = 48) will produce 48x8=384 crabs (4 bushels).
The third year, half of those 4 bushels (50% females = 192) will produce 192x8=1,536 crabs (16 bushels).
The fourth year, half of those 16 bushels (50% females = 768) will produce 768x8=6,144 crabs (64 bushels).
The fifth year half of those 64 bushels (50% females = 3,072) will produce 3072x8=24,576 crabs (256 bushels).

I know these numbers aren't perfect, but you can see the potential here. Doing a little division here (24,576/12=2,048) indicates that for every female crab you keep, in five years time there will be 2,048 fewer crabs around.

Now for those of you who may want to jump on my case:
I understand there is a market for females and you commercial guys need to make money. Do what you gotta do.
I also understand there is a geographic imbalance that puts a higher ratio of females to the south, namely Virginia. Again, do what you gotta do.

I don't have a good reason to keep the females, I can catch enough males. If I can't catch enough males then I understand why it's that much more important to throw the females back. The numbers speak for themselves.

You asked for our logic on our position, this is it. Quantitative, simple math. I am open to counter opinions. What sayeth the board?

[CRABGUY]

THE FIGURES DONT LIE

[on the hook]

Not mistaking, they only live 2-3 yrs, and lay once. I don't keep any females either, but as he stated, he wanted something to eat! Sure you know how withdrawel can be

[CRABGUY]

THROW EM ALL BACK
NO FEMALES,NO FEMALES,NOFEMALES NO FEMALES

[CRABGUY]

OTH, THE OPIONS DIFFER GREATLY ON THE LAYING PART SOME SAY THE FEMALE ONLY "MATES" ONCE
AND STORES THE MALE PORTION TO PRODUCE SEVERAL SPOUNGES

[on the hook]

Thought they had 200k-2mill eggs. Lets just take 1 and raise all the young. 1 mill by 100 = 1000 bushels. Alas thats just the males. We're gonna breed the rest with kingcrab. Just imagine

[Black Irish]

OTH, that is a common misconception. A female may only mate once, but she can continue to lay eggs from stored sperm several times.

(sorry, CG beat me to it)

[on the hook]

10,000 bushels--my bad

[Joe Crabs]

And that's the common misconception some people want you to believe to justify their taking them. And on the hook. You make it sound like the the guy was starving. I had drouts where I wanted a meal and didn't catch anything, but I didn't go next door and hack my neighbor up and put him on the barbecue. Come on, lets be real here.

[CRABGUY]

BEAT YA TOO IT BI
POINT IS STILL THE SAME WHY RISK IT THROW THE DAM FEMALES BACK/GENTLY

[Joe Crabs]

But I did eat his dog. OK guys just kidding.

[crazy crabber]

Thanks for sharing your opinion and the educational article.  Perhaps in the future I will do things differently.  

Thanks,
Peanut1181

I hope you do man! Hey peanut you have to understand that this is a touchy subject for all who love crabbing. So don't take anything anyone says to heart. There are a bunch of die hard crabbers on this board! (I like to call em crazy crabbers)   And being that your here you must love crabbing just like us. So do yourself,us,and your kids a favor and throw back those females.

[Joe Crabs]

Nice touch CC to wrap this one up. This subject gets tiring.

[kingcrabber]

Not mistaking, they only live 2-3 yrs, and lay once. I don't keep any females either, but as he stated, he wanted something to eat! Sure you know how withdrawel can be

hey Val.....you're my neighbor..Peanut wanted statistics..he got em from BI.....he got withdrawal?....they call that rehab...I got crab withdrawal every week..don't mean I kill babies..that is what is called ignorance......he wants to tell me how to communicate?.....then he's calling my intelligence into question....he's getting personnal....tell me where an when

[on the hook]

Will do KC. As I said, I gotta get my motors fixed. Hey, any of ya striper fish? OK, rockfish? Did great last fall in Del Bay

[jack1747]

any of ya striper fish? OK, rockfish?

My true passion.  I will share my crabb'n spots but my rockfish'n spots are top secret