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P.O. Box 2642 | Darien, GA 31305 | Tel 912-437-8164 | FAX 912-437-8765 | |
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P.O. Box 2642 | Darien, GA 31305 | Tel 912-437-8164 | FAX 912-437-8765 | |
| Home | About Us | River News | Wildlife | Advocacy | Education | Events & Meetings | Resources | Links | Newsletters | ||
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Why Crabs are Importantby The Altamaha Riverkeeper, James HollandLet's take a look at the value of blue crabs in the food chain. One female crab can spawn as many as two million eggs. Once the eggs hatch they become part of the food chain and are eaten by all the critters. The larva and juvenile crabs are eaten by speckled trout, spot tailed bass, croaker, flounder, black drum, sheephead, and shrimp. The list goes on and on. Millions of crabs are spawned each year that feed millions of other species. Fish also spawn eggs that play a role in the food chain. Animals rely on one another, in fact, each animal plays a crucial role in the food chain. The natural balance of the food chain in any ecosystem is fragile and complex. With the diminishment of just one organism in the food chain the entire balance can be altered. We should approach these systems with extreme caution and planning to retain this very fragile natural balance. What is happening to the crab population? The blue crab population is diminishing in numbers. According to the annual landings records the blue crab catch appears to have started a decline in supply in 1985. That year the average retail price was about $2.00-$3.00 per dozen for live crabs in the peak summer months. By 1995 crabs sold at retail for about $3.00-$3.50 per dozen. By mid 1999, when I left the blue crab fishery, crabs were retailing at $4.50-$5.50 with a trend towards $6.00 per dozen by the end of the year. Now in August 2003 retail prices average $10.00-$12.00 per dozen for live mixed crabs (male & female combined). Large male crabs are averaging more than that depending upon availability. In a period of about 8 years the retail market value for blue crabs on the coast of Georgia has doubled. The increase in cost is staggering. To understand the true meaning of the changes in the crab population you need to look back in time only a scant 15-20 years. In the 70's and early 80's the blue crab was abundant in most of Georgia's coastal waters. If you wanted a "mess" of blue crabs in the summer months, you did not have to buy them. All you had to do was go almost any place you could get to the salt water with a piece of string, a small dip net, and a raw chicken neck or wing. You could fish off docks, piers, and bridges with little hoop nets attached to enough string to allow them to settle on the bottom. You would wait a few minutes, retrieve the net, remove the crabs then repeat the procedure until you had all the of crabs you wanted. Even back then it might not be a successful venture every time you went, but more often than not you could catch some crabs. Today, when you go crabbing you seldom catch enough to feed a family even one meal. Many people who crab and fish from piers, bridges, and the beach don't have boats and motors and although some people are crabbing for recreation, some are crabbing for an economical dinner. At a costly $12.00 a dozen, many people can't afford to buy them either. Twenty or so years ago seafood was readily available to everyone. Now with the severe decline in the abundance of crabs, the demand is far exceeding the supply. Harvesting food from the ocean is as much part of our lives as farming is to people in the mid west. For a commercial crab fisherman like I was, the personal freedom of being an out of doors man was a dream come true. It is so sad that now many people will not realize this dream if the current environmental trends continue. Another part of the dilemma is the tasty cuisine this animal brings to our tables. Many of us enjoy steamed or boiled crabs. We love to sit down to a low country boil made of smoked sausage, corn on the cob, potatoes, and onions, and crab, all cooked in the same pot. How about them southern style crab cakes topped with lightly sautˇed tomatoes or fried soft-shell crabs with a deviled crab thrown in as an appetizer. These dishes are a part of Southern cuisine and represent a lifestyle of people living next to the sea. Some basic landward side economics. Coastal Georgia's recreational sport fishing industry is valued at approximately 350 million dollars annually. Georgia's commercial fishing industry is valued at an estimated 80 million dollars annually. Combined that equals a coastal seafood industry that amounts annually to an estimated 430 million dollars. People visiting coastal Georgia for recreation and fishing spend a lot of money on motels, restaurants, gasoline, fishing supplies and boats. Tourism is also one of coastal Georgia's largest industries. People are attracted to our beaches, nature, and wild life. I am in no way saying that blue crabs are responsible for all the money. However, if crabs are no longer available in the food chain or present only in an extremely diminished population, our fisheries could become seriously impacted. The answer to the question: ARE BLUE CRABS IMPORTANT can be better answered if we could ask a black drum or a spot tailed bass. Since that is not an option, we should realize that the loss or diminishment of one species affects everything else: the food chain, our economy, and our way of life. The polluted waters and increased salinity levels exacerbated by natural drought conditions are probably all induced by human activity. The diminishing crab population is representative of a larger problem, the possible tipping of an ecological balance in the food chain. If we are to leave anything for our loved ones for the future we must protect what God has given us today. |
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