Crab-catching blues

Crab-catching blues

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Morgan Tolley is a third generation crab processor working on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay, but he's worried that his industry may be under threat as more and more young people shun the traditional family-oriented trade.

The A.E. Phillips crab picking house Tolley manages in Fishing Creek, Maryland, relies on crabs harvested by the "watermen" of the Bay.

. Choptank River, United States. Reuters/Jonathan Ernst

"It's passed down from generation to generation, that's how you learn to become a waterman," Tolley said. “Not everybody knows how to fish a trotline or bait a crab pot.”

As more people grow up and leave the small rural shore towns known for crab fishing in search of job opportunities with less erratic pay, the industry's future is in doubt.

The threat of a shrinking workforce on the water is just one of the headwinds buffeting the Chesapeake Bay's iconic blue crab fisheries. The local sector must also contend with environmental issues and an increasingly global agricultural market.

Blue crabs are found up and down the east coast, from Nova Scotia to Argentina, but the crustaceans have long been synonymous with the Bay, the largest U.S. estuary with a surface area of 4,480 square miles.

. Tyaskin, United States. Reuters/Jonathan Ernst
Researcher Keira Heggie from the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) releases a crab back to the water after tagging it with a plastic marker.

The crab population crashed in the 1990s and early 2000s, forcing some companies to begin importing crab meat from Asia.

Matthew Ogburn, an ecologist with the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center's Fish and Invertebrate Ecology Lab, said researchers found that over-harvesting of crabs may have led to the declines.

Regulators have tried to correct this by limiting the harvest of female crabs. Most of the restrictions were put in place in 2008. Since they mate only once and migrate to the mouth of the Bay to reproduce, females captured by fishermen often have not yet produced offspring.

. Tyaskin, United States. Reuters/Jonathan Ernst
A crab is wired with a plastic tag, which asks crabbers to call in information about the crustacean if it is caught.

Crabs that are harvested must meet a certain shell width. The minimum size requirements vary based on sex of the crab, the season and other criteria.

"Protections of females are really important, but they can't guarantee a high catch," Ogburn said, noting that other factors like weather patterns and pollution also play a role.

. Fishing Creek, United States. Reuters/Jonathan Ernst

In 2014, watermen harvested 35 million pounds of crabs from the Chesapeake, the lowest level recorded in 25 years and down from highs of nearly 120 million pounds in the mid-1990s, according to the Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee.

While crab populations have changed, the workforce that processes crab meat in picking houses has also been transformed as companies become more reliant on immigrant labour.

The Phillips crab picking house, which supplies the locally famous Phillips Seafood Restaurants, now hires mainly Mexican employees through the U.S. H2B visa program for seasonal guest workers.

. Fishing Creek, United States. Reuters/Jonathan Ernst

Local workers do not want the tough manual jobs in picking houses anymore, Tolley said, noting that the crab processing industry has had a difficult time securing the limited amount of guest worker visas issued by the federal government.

Lawsuits challenging the government's management of H2B visas have recently disrupted the programme, with a court ruling briefly forcing authorities to stop processing applications in March.

Labor Department statistics show that seafood companies in Maryland eventually received visas for at least 420 seasonal workers this year.

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Slideshow

Crab boats are moored at the dock at dawn.
. Hooper's Island, United States. Reuters/Jonathan Ernst

Crab boats are moored at the dock at dawn.

Professional waterman Danny Richardson heads into the Choptank River to catch crabs before sunrise.
. Choptank River, United States. Reuters/Jonathan Ernst

Professional waterman Danny Richardson heads into the Choptank River to catch crabs before sunrise.

Josue Vega nets crabs one by one with his family as night falls.
. Cambridge, United States. Reuters/Jonathan Ernst

Josue Vega nets crabs one by one with his family as night falls.

Researchers tag crabs and release them back into the Nanticoke River.
. Tyaskin, United States. Reuters/Jonathan Ernst

Researchers tag crabs and release them back into the Nanticoke River.

A crab clings to the catch basket.
. Choptank River, United States. Reuters/Jonathan Ernst

A crab clings to the catch basket.

Waterman Dwane Paul delivers his day's catch of crabs at the A.E. Phillips picking house.
. Fishing Creek, United States. Reuters/Jonathan Ernst

Waterman Dwane Paul delivers his day's catch of crabs at the A.E. Phillips picking house.

Waterman Danny Richardson tries to fit one more crab into a nearly full bushel basket.
. Choptank River, United States. Reuters/Jonathan Ernst

Waterman Danny Richardson tries to fit one more crab into a nearly full bushel basket.

A worker unloads a carriage of cooked crabs from a large pressure steamer at the A.E. Phillips picking house.
. Fishing Creek, United States. Reuters/Jonathan Ernst

A worker unloads a carriage of cooked crabs from a large pressure steamer at the A.E. Phillips picking house.

The large stainless steel shovel is used to distribute steamed crabs to workers at the A.E. Phillips picking house.
. Fishing Creek, United States. Reuters/Jonathan Ernst

The large stainless steel shovel is used to distribute steamed crabs to workers at the A.E. Phillips picking house.

Crabs "race" for contestants' bragging rights during the annual National Hard Crab Derby.
. Crisfield, United States. Reuters/Jonathan Ernst

Crabs "race" for contestants' bragging rights during the annual National Hard Crab Derby.

Crisfield Police Chief Michael Tabor prepares to fire the starter pistol for crabs to "race”.
. Crisfield, United States. Reuters/Jonathan Ernst

Crisfield Police Chief Michael Tabor prepares to fire the starter pistol for crabs to "race”.

A contestant cheers at the start of the crab-picking contest during the annual National Hard Crab Derby.
. Crisfield, United States. Reuters/Jonathan Ernst

A contestant cheers at the start of the crab-picking contest during the annual National Hard Crab Derby.

Diners enjoy blue crabs as the sun sets over the Kent Narrows at Harris Crab House.
. Grasonville, United States. Reuters/Jonathan Ernst

Diners enjoy blue crabs as the sun sets over the Kent Narrows at Harris Crab House.

Linton's Seafood shop and restaurant advertises crabs for sale.
. Crisfield, United States. Reuters/Jonathan Ernst

Linton's Seafood shop and restaurant advertises crabs for sale.