Shrewsbury River Invasion 5-8-2022

[Crab-E-Patty]

I posted this in the Rules and Regs section but no feedback yet. See here if interested https://www.bluecrab.info/forum/index.php?topic=101121.0

Here's my crabbing report for Shrewsbury River on 5/8/2022...

Suddenly there are SO MANY commercial traps in this relatively small waterway (literally HUNDREDS).  And this early in the season???  Even if this is technically 'legal', these commercial crabbers are going to KILL the crabbing for the recreational people that normally crab this system.  Has anyone else noticed this yet?  If you haven't been out yet - it's going to be a HUGE shock when you do.

Is there anything that can be done about this? Or are we going to watch our great crabbing resource turn to [shiz] over the next couple of seasons - and then debate about what type of replenishment project can be done? I sure hope not.

P

[#1 JIMMY]

Hello

I sent you a personal email on this days ago

[#1 JIMMY]

Hello

I saw the same on Thursday while fluke fishing. By the way didn't get a bite  fluking for a few hours using Gulp. As I see it in addition to all the commercial pots in the river the new way of crabbing by the recreationals jugging 30 or so pots so they can catch multiple bushels per trip is going to really impact the river. Already I notice the last few years that the male crabs are not as big in the fall. This implies that the crabs never get a chance to grow up and are caught early. The other day there were 2 commercial guys pulling pots in the back of the river. The whole river is probably completely covered with pots. One of these days I am sure I will run over one and ruin my motor. The same crabs we catch winter in the bay and are dredged from December to March. I remember crabbing with my father from Chris landing in Sea Bright from a rented rowboat. We would catch the biggest crabs back then in the 70's and 80's. I still crab the old way anchored with handlines and a few traps and do alright.
 As you said they are probably crabbing legally so there is nothing that can be done. Sad to say.
How did you do fishing?
See ya out there

#1 Jimmy

[Capt. Frank]

A few years ago the same issue was posted here about the abundance of commercial traps in the Shrewsbury.

But they have every right to be there as we do.  SO not much can change.

Better question posed is the Shrewsbury over crabbed?  Hence lesser numbers in size.

I posted this in the Rules and Regs section but no feedback yet. See here if interested https://www.bluecrab.info/forum/index.php?topic=101121.0

Here's my crabbing report for Shrewsbury River on 5/8/2022...

Suddenly there are SO MANY commercial traps in this relatively small waterway (literally HUNDREDS).  And this early in the season???  Even if this is technically 'legal', these commercial crabbers are going to KILL the crabbing for the recreational people that normally crab this system.  Has anyone else noticed this yet?  If you haven't been out yet - it's going to be a HUGE shock when you do.

Is there anything that can be done about this? Or are we going to watch our great crabbing resource turn to [shiz] over the next couple of seasons - and then debate about what type of replenishment project can be done? I sure hope not.

P

[on the hook]

Rec crabbers can only have 2/two/dos 'pots', not 30....Traps/rings etc I believe is unlimited but they can still only harvest 1/one/uno bushel, sooo...

[#1 JIMMY]

Meant 30 traps and its one bushel per person. So 3-4 guys on a boat is 3-4 bushels

[Capt. Frank]

Good point.  This site used to post pictures of 2 or 3 bushels of crabs from one boat. 

 I always mused if they are going to eat them all.  Many just caught way too many to eat and just give them away and call it charity to cover the binge.

Sure it's all legal. 3 or 4 guys and three or four bushels of crabs.  The anchored hand line crabber is what we have in mind as crabbing catching his/her few dozen in a boat.    But that's not the concern- especially if you're jugging 20-30 traps.  WE decimate a lot bigger bottom area than a dozen 30" x 30" MD commercial traps will.    I do about a dozen traps jugged myself.

We worry about females and take home 200 males.  Then feel like our binging we helped feed the masses.  LMAO  Until we don't have that stock anymore. 

We can't blame the commercial guys for everything wrong

Meant 30 traps and its one bushel per person. So 3-4 guys on a boat is 3-4 bushels

[on the hook]

Meant 30 traps and its one bushel per person. So 3-4 guys on a boat is 3-4 bushels

Yes, legal and great if they do...I'm sure with 4 guys they 'could' run 100 rings/topless/etc and get a lot of crabs...Also, they deserve it...Lot of work...In my 14' with rings/bait/etc/cooler/bla/bla, it is a lot of work to get a bushel for 2 people(not nit picking on size) and no room for more...I'd 'guess' that in 8 trips last year, I kept about 2 bushels TOTAL...Some bad trips and I only keep what I figure I need...This year it'll cost me $200 at LEAST to even go once...smfh

[Baileyboy]

Crab Patty
I wrote About This Last Year On This Site       It Did Nothing But waste My Time    I Covered All The Topics You Brought Up      2 Years Ago The Navasink Was Wiped Out     Don't Believe Me Go Ask The Guy You Rents
Crabbing Boats In Red Bank    He Told Me It Was As Bad As He Has Ever Seen     I Called Them Mom & Pop Rivers For Families To Go Have Fun & Catch Some Crabs    I Navasink Was Cleaned Out    I Have A Friend Who Docks In Red Bank  & He Was Coming To The Shrewsbury To Get A Few Dozen To Eat    VERY SAD   The Thing Is These Laws Were Written When There Were Whiting On The Long Branch Pier    With NO Limit Of How Many Commerical Guy's Can Fish In One River So If 4 Guy's Decide To Crab  They By Law Can Fish 400 Pots Each    X  4  =  1,600 Pots  In That Small River  That My Friend Is A Joke   Like You Said Crab Patty  The River Can't Take
That Kind Of Heat  Also The Crabs Are Much Smaller Then They Use To Be     I Know There Are A few Expert Crabbers That Claim The Size Is Fine   YEA NOT SO MUCH   5 1/2 All Day Long   There Are Really No #1 Crabs
In Abundance Any More From Both Rivers    6 1/2 & Larger I'm Talking    I Hope It Get's Addressed Before It's To Late    Because The Fat Lady Is Walking On To The Stage

[Crab-E-Patty]

WE decimate a lot bigger bottom area than a dozen 30" x 30" MD commercial traps will.    I do about a dozen traps jugged myself.


We can't blame the commercial guys for everything wrong

Frank - I'm not talking about a dozen traps!  There are HUNDREDS of traps - that are baited, left out, cleaned and rebaited - EVERY DAY.  How can you possibly say what you said???

Baileyboy - Sorry but you gotta Stop Writing Posts With Capital Letters In Front Of Every Word Man.  It's so difficult to read.

I have a friend who lives on the water and watched this commercial guy put his traps out.  He came into the river (lives outside the general area) and launched 3 boatloads FULL of these gigantic MD traps.  It was insane.  They are all over the place now.  As a recreational family crabber - it's hard to sit by and watch this happening - knowing that this is the beginning of something that will undoubtedly decimate that crab population over the course of the next couple years.  It will get cleaned out - the commercial guys will move on, and it will take decades to rebuild.  It is sickening.

[Baileyboy]

Now I Know Why Your Crabby   I'm Trying To Talk About The Problem    & Your Breaking My Balls For  My Typing     GET A LIFE !!!