crab prices in the MD area

[Botsman]

OMG, the prices of crabs in the MD area are SO high. like $320-350 for a bushel of 1;s, or $125, for a DZ and like $250 for a bushel of 2's ..  All I want to know from the commercial crabber out there, are you getting higher prices for your catch now? or are the retailers, just jacking up the prices.  If the crabbers are getting the more than I am fine, I am just wondering....I totally understand your work is very hard, and you deserve every penny you get, just wondering???

Thank you

[rdbeard]

not sure what the dealers -middle man is paying but if I had to guess i'd say watermen are getting part of the higher prices due to ches. crabs being in short supply. I sell direct to the public, friend ,coworkers ect and raised my prices this season due to high bait and fuel costs. I went from 165 last season to 200 this season and that's for mixed, the way I catch them males. that means when we sort anything legal to jumbos goes in same basket as we are sorting.all crabs are hard meaning we sqeeze most crabs.

[Botsman]

ok, thank you I was just wondering, i know prices are going up, just was hope that the catchers, are get more too, not the end seller...

[SHELLFISH]

I just looked at a can of crab here in Florida! WOW!
A 1 pound can of claw meat jumped from $8 - $12 to $20.00! These are the little Indonesian claws or where ever they are from!
There is no lump on the shelves at all!
The local crabbers can't keep the bait shops supplied and I heard they are all moving their boats to the Jacksonville area.
This is all the east coast of Florida; I don't know how the west coast is doing?