CAPE MAY COUNTY MAGAZINE 31 AUGUST '83

23

W" Two Full-Time Jobs - ^Crabbing and Farming

(ED. . NOTE: Following Is excerpted from an interview with Elber Beal of Eldora, one of a aeries conducted by Dr. Thomas Chelius of Atlantic Community College and Cape May County marine agent Stewart Tweed as research for a history of the county’s com mercial fishing ( industry.) I: Mr. Beal has been a bayman. I guess you'd call yourself a waterman...Just let us know a little bit about how you’ve been involved in working on the bay. I ,know you're what, a parttime bayman and full-time

farmer?

B: Well, seeras like when I’m done my farming, then I gotta have something else to do, and I either go crabbing, or you know to pick up a dollar here and there. \ I: Maybe I ought to say you're a full time crabber and full time farmer then?

B: Right.

I: Could you tell us a little bit'about your recollection of when you first

started in the bay?

B: I moved from False Corner down here and my fCVSl

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brother was an oysterman, and he always made good money, and come the fall of the year, and I had nothing to do so I built myself a boat, and I went to work. , I: What kind of boat did

you build?

B: ...an 18-foot garvey. And I made good money on it, and I liked it.... I: How many years ago

was that?

B: That’s been about 35 to 37 years ago. when 1 started that. We used to tow in Dennis Creek and we towed down the bay, off in yillas on the beds, winter after winter. And we used to catch anywheres from 20 to 22, 28 bushel a day. I: Were there many people from Villas that would go out there, too? B: There was quite a few Villas men went out.there, and at that time, there was quite a few old timers. I: Were they primarily clammers or oystermen? B: Well, there’s both. ...They’d have the license to take both... As far as the clams down there, I wouldn’t give you five cents for a dozen of them, because they wasn’t salty like the other clams, you know what I mean. I: How many years did you do that? B: Oh, I guess that went on for about 11 or 12 years. ...Then there were these here fellars come in, took it over, and it went polluted and they put us out of

business.

I: ...the beds of ithe mouths got muddied up? B: ...yeah. And the king crabs, and the mud, and in time Dennis Creek, I think, is gonna be closetfoff. I can just barely get out of there now with my outboard. That’s where they're wide open, and it’s still kicking mud, ...and it’s just tearing the bank all up... I: And then you had to find something else to do? B: Then I’d find something else to do, so then I went into crabbing... I: What kind of gear did you use to catch them

originally? Did you always work with the pots? B: Yeah. I’ve alwyas worked with the pots. 1: ...What's the technique for that? B: You gotta treat your pots, you gotta dip them I: When you say "dip them” what do you mean? B: You gotta coat them with tar. And you take them out there and you set them off, bait them ...in the first place, you put the spot pots out^there to see if you got any'crabs before you start putting pots out... I: How deep is the water that you usually crab in? B: Anywhere’s from 12 to 18 foot, on hi&h water. And I have some of my pots, when the crabbing's good, right in on the beaches, I can’t even get in there to tjiem when it’s low water. ,1 gotta wait till the water, comes in so I can get in there to them. And a lot of times, the pots are showing, but they will catch crabs... 3 I: What kind of bait do you use? B: Bunkers. I: You said that you don't get as many bunkers in the bay anymore. Do you have to buy bunker then from ‘ somebody else? B: ...I gotta buy them (by the) keg. And they are little bunkers. They ain't near as big as our bunkers. ..I had to moVe pots this year on account we had a fish kill.e and I had a line of pots in on the shore, and it lined .with bunkers and fish, and I had to move them out and move them down more to the beach. And after I'd done it, why, there’s so many bunkers drifting down that beach it was pitiful, bunkers anywhere from an inch to three inches long. I: Have the pots changes much since you've been in the business? B: ...The same thing . You take a bright pot, you can take a new pot and not dip it. Now last year...! took them out there and they caught just as good as they would it you

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dipped them. This year I took them out there and they didn’t uo nothing. I had to bring them back and dip them. And you gotta put them over a board or leave them set around for a while so the galvanizer will work before your tar’ll stick to them. . .Il Does that cut doWi^orf —Some of the fouling you get on It too...? B: No, it’s the same thing whether they’re treated or whether they’re not treated. You still catclfthat growth. I: Does that cut down on the harvest of the crabs...or does it Improve It? B:,df you got a dirty pot, it gets just as sour as can be, and it cuts way down on your catch. In fact, they ain’t even worth baiting, I: Crabs won’t go in It. huh? B: They won’t go in it. sour pot, they don’t like no way. ..I always take out new pots every day, and where I find a dirty pot I’ll put it in place of'iTMake out 20 poLs ever7 morning after I get to crabbing.. I: Do you have td'drag them out and scrape them? B: ...I bought a washer this year, a high pressure washer. This years crabb-

ing’s easier than it’s ever been in my life. I: Wherrdoyou generally start your crabbing season? B: Sometimes it’s the 28th of June. Last year I think it was just before the .fourth of July , we had a wicked spring, if you remember A lot of rain, and they don’t like a lot of fresh water. You get a lot of fresh water, in this cove here, it’ll drive yourjerab out. And the fish /same way... I: When does your season end? n B: I quit two weeks after Labor Day. He kept dropping the price and dropping the price and I went in there one day and he said, "Well, we’re gonna drop number one’s five dollars,"

and I said. “Well look, I’m done, payday ’’ So I started to pull pots cause like 1 said, I was getting ready to go farming and I had to get ready. I: Are there any crabs out there now? B: Yeah. But they're poor, very poor When I quit they was rattling. I: What does that mean? B: No meat on them They rattle just like ar\ empty shell. ...You hear them rattle (cause they just as poor as they can be And about three weeks before that I brought some home and we cleaned them and picked them and they were just as fat as butter And they had dropped off that quick and I can’t unders land why.

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