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Coastwatch Spring 2006 www.ncseagrant.org 17

C o n t i n u e d

COLLABORATIVE LEARNING: Crabbers, Sc ent sts, Managers Improve Commun cat on

By Ann Green

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bait in his crab pots. • The crabbers pull up more than 350 crab pots in one day. • The catch includes large male crabs, known as “jimmies,” and females with red-tippedabout the Blue Crab Research Program, administered by North Carolina Sea Grant.

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18 Coastwatch | Spring 2006 |

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AS THE PALE PINK SUN PEEKS THROUGH THE MORNING SKY, Pau Rose and Ke th Horsefie d head nto the Curr tuck Sound n a boat oaded w th menhaden ba t for crabs.

th the w nd b ow ng from the southwest, Rose, dressed n orange rubber ra n gear, s ows the boat and uses a po e to pu ose to a buoy and orange crab pot.

The men, both commerc al crabbers, son ye ow g oves. As Rose operates the e ectr

pot pu er, Horsefie d retr eves the pot ho ng three fema es, dist ngu shed by the r red-tipped claws, and two arge ma e b ue crabs.

“The arge ma es or ‘ mm es’ usua y br ng a h gher do ar than the fema es or ‘sooks,’ ” Rose says. But fema es se better n Ba more and New York, where arge As an popu at ons prefer the fema es carry ng eggs.

Rose sorts the crabs on a cu ng tab e and drops them nto baskets. Meanwh e, Horsefieputs menhaden ba nto the pot and owers back nto the sound.

Dur ng severa hours on the water, the men pu up more than 350 crab pots.

“It s good aerob c exerc se,” says Rose.

www. ncseagrant.org

LEFT TO RIGHT: Pau Rose has been crabb ng n the Curraws. Dur ng the pro ect, Pau Rose shared h s cha

“I got a better understand ng of what

professors do by s tt ng down and ta ng

th them. I found out that they don’t

ust come up w th research resu ts

n the r head but spend a ot of t me

figur ng out the resu ts.”

—Pau Rose

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“We fish the pots every other day. I have 800 crab pots in the sound.”

For more than 23 years, he has harvested blue crabs in the Currituck Sound. From March through May, Rose harvests hard crabs and peeler/soft crabs. Through the rest of the crab season, he focuses on hard crabs.

“There have been a lot of changes since I started,” says Rose, who also owns a seafood business. “There are less crabs, and more people are crabbing.”

ituck Sound for years. • Keith Horsefield uses menhaden as llenges and learned from scientists and managers. He also learned

PILOT PROJECT As a veteran commercial crabber, Rose

was among several invited participants in theBlue Crab Collaborative Learning Project. Ledby North Carolina Sea Grant fisheries specialistSara Mirabilio, the project included commercialcrabbers, as well as university researchers, fisherymanagers and environmental nonprofit staffwho follow the blue crab life cycle.

Through a series of workshops conductedby Mirabilio and others, the group tried toimprove communication and understandingamong blue crab stakeholders. The project wasfunded by The N.C. Blue Crab Research Program— which is administered by North Carolina Sea

LEFT TO RIGHT: Paul Rose has been crabbing in the Currituck Sound for years. • Keith Horsefield uses menhaden asclaws. • During the project, Paul Rose shared his challenges and learned from scientists and managers. He also learned

Grant and funded by the N.C. General Assembly. Fishery Management Plan (FMP) to address discussions away from specific contentious “We wanted to break down stigmas a variety of issues, including stock protection, issues to meaningful discussions of regulations,”

between the groups and show that research data environmental degradation, wasteful or says Jack Thigpen, North Carolina Sea Grant can be useful to commercial crabbers as well as damaging fishing practices and user conflicts, as extension director. “The workshops were scientists and fishery managers,” Mirabilio says. well as insufficient data and public education. conducted in the context of ‘sustaining nature’s

For years, watermen have been at odds To ensure a sustainable fishery, resource resource’ versus ‘managing nature’ to ensure the with fishery managers over the level of state and users need to develop a better understanding viability of the resource.” federal regulations. of the blue crab’s complex life history and The project included two two-day retreats

“There are probably too many regulations,” strategies implemented by the state to regulate and one daylong session where participants says Rose. “But to stay in business, you have to harvest and protect juveniles and spawning shared meals and exchanged information. During learn to adapt to the regulations.” stock, the report says. “workplace exchanges,” a fishery manager,

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bait in his crab pots. • The crabbers pull up more than 350 crab pots in one day. • The catch includes large male crabs, known as “jimmies,” and females with red-tippedabout the Blue Crab Research Program, administered by North Carolina Sea Grant.

In North Carolina, the blue crab is the state’s most valuable commercial fishery. From 1994 to 1999, North Carolina was the top blue crab producing state in the country, according to NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service. In 2002, North Carolina still accounted for 21 percent of the nation’s total harvest, second only to Louisiana with 31 percent.

However, in 2004 the value of the blue crab harvest in North Carolina declined by $12.6 million, yielding the lowest value during the 10-year period from 1995 to 2004, according to the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF).

In December 2004, the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission updated the Blue Crab

To open dialogue among commercial crabbers, fishery managers and scientists, North Carolina Sea Grant held three workshops in 2005, where 17 participants exchanged information on FMP topics.

CULTURAL MODEL The project was based on a model used

by University of Maryland anthropologist Michael Paolisso. Through a program partially funded by Maryland Sea Grant, Paolisso interviewed Maryland watermen and collected data that helped identify their cultural model for managing a blue crab fishery.

“His model provides a platform for shifting

crabber, shedder and a crab dealer, as well as a university researcher, explained what they do on a typical day and the challenges they face.

“I got a better understanding of what professors do by sitting down and talking with them,” says Rose, whose hands are gnawed like pin cushions from blue crab pinches. “I found out that they don’t just come up with research results in their head but spend a lot of time figuring out the results.”

More specifically, Rose expanded his knowledge about the female blue crab reproductive cycle. “I always thought that females have one clutch of eggs, but they actually

C o n t i n u e d

Coastwatch | Spring 2006 | www.ncseagrant.org 19

crabbers, scientists and resource managers.heading out into the sound.

Coastwatch | Spring 2006 |

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20 www. ncseagrant.org

“It was amaz ng to see the eve

of understand ng that deve oped

between the two s des n a very short

amount of t me. When you ook at the

cu tura assumpt ons between watermen,

sc ent sts and fishermen, t makes sense

that they are not see ng eye-to-eye.”

—Jan DeB eu

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have multiple clutches,” he adds. “Sometimes, for improving the fishery.they have five or six clutches in one season.” Rose’s grant focused on reducing the

Dan Rittschof, the scientist whose research number of undersized crabs caught in crab pots. determined the clutch patterns, also gained He tested four different configurations of “cull insight into the work patterns of commercial rings” — exit holes big enough to let tiny crabs crabbers. escape, but small enough to trap larger crabs.

“The workshops were very valuable,” DMF requires no fewer than two escape says Rittschof, a Duke University Marine Lab rings in the upper pot chamber. zoologist and blue crab researcher. “We were trying to make less work for

“It showed me where conflicts are and that crabbers when they cull crabs on the boat,” says everyone needs to remember that we are all in Rose. “We caught more larger and less smaller

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LEFT TO RIGHT: Sara Mirabilio (center) led the Blue Crab Collaborative Learning Project which brought together • The crabbers sort their catch into baskets. • Keith Horsefield spots a N.C. Dept. of Transportation ferry while

the same boat,” he adds. “Putting all groups in crabs in the crab pots with additional cull rings in the same room was helpful.” the lower chamber of the pots than in the other

Jan DeBlieu, N.C. Coastal Federation pots.” coastkeeper at Cape Hatteras, agrees.

“It was amazing to see the level of RECOMMENDATIONS understanding that developed between the As a result of the blue crab collaborative two sides in a very short amount of time,” project, the participants also made says DeBlieu. “When you look at the cultural recommendations to DMF. “It became clear that assumptions between watermen, scientists gear loss is a major problem for crabbers and that and fishermen, it makes sense that they are not abandoned pots are an eyesore, a navigational seeing eye-to-eye.” hazard and a drain on the resource,” the group

The project resulted in several positive wrote. outcomes. Rose applied for a grant from the “We would like to have a one-day cleanup Blue Crab Research Program that provides in the Albemarle region to collect pots that are funding for commercial crabbers who have ideas abandoned, as determined by the same criteria

LEFT TO RIGHT: Sara Mirabilio (center) led the Blue Crab Collaborative Learning Project which brought together• The crabbers sort their catch into baskets. • Keith Horsefield spots a N.C. Dept. of Transportation ferry while

used by state staff.” DMF Mari

cleanup in North Caroweeks during the w

“To get the pubwoulissues,” says Lynn Henry, DMF bworkshop particialso would inclthe public could visand talk with crabbers.

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Coastwatch Spring 2006 www.ncseagrant.org 21

New B ue Crab S ze L ts Take Effect For the first time, recreationa and commerc fishers n North Caro na are faced w th an

upper s ze t on b ue crabs. Mature fema e crabs more than 6.75 nches from po nt to po nt and female pee er crabs arger than 5.25 nches from po nt to po nt must now be returned to the water.

The new ts took effect Jan. 16, 2006. They wi rema n p ace unt Apr 30. The max mum s ze ts w be fted between May 1 and Aug. 31.

The new max mum s ze regu at on s part of the 2004 B ue Crab F shery Management an. This regulat on was based on research conducted by the N.C. D sion of Mar ne F sher es

(DMF) and b ue crab researcher Dave Egg eston of North Caro na State Univers ty. Egg eston participated

the N.C. F shery Resource Grant (FRG) program to conduct stud es on b ue crab popu at ons. Hresults showed that the blue crab spawn ng stock was dec ng, as was the average s ze of the femaspawners.

Prev ous research has shown that large fema e crabs produce more eggs than sma fema es. Thus, t may be mportant to protect arge fema es — so the genes that promote arge growth and more eggs are preserved w ththe popu at on.

Commerc harvest data co ected by DMF from the

bemar e and Pam co areas nd cated that the ength and average s ze of sponge crabs was smaller than that of mature non-

sponge females. One exp anat on for the ack of arge fema es was they were be ng captured by crabbers before reach ng the research pots p aced n spawn ng areas.

Based on the r research resu ts, DMF and Egg eston deve oped recommendat ons that wou d protect arge fema e crabs as they moved towards the ets to spawn.

One of the recommendat ons was the upper s ot t that would require arge fema es to be re eased, preserv ng the r presence n the spawn ng popu at on. When the N.C. Mar ne

sheries Comm ss on approved the management p an, it nc uded prov ons for an upper ze t that wou d on y go nto effect when stock assessments showed h stor ca ow

popu at on evels. Popu at on data co ected by DMF dur ng the past two years has shown such dec nes,

tr gger ng the upper s ot l mits nto effect. The max mum s ze ts wi cont nue to be n effect from Sept. 1 through Apr 30 each year unti the stock mproves.

Keep up to date w th fishery management regu at ons through the DMF Web s te at www. ncfisher es.net. The B ue Crab F shery Management P an may a so be accessed through the s te. Fo ow the nk for shery Management P ans. — E.S.

ne Patro now has crab pot na waters for three

nter. c invo ved, the statute

d have to be changed because of l abil ty og st and

pant. The proposed c eanup ude a “B ue Crab Day” when

t buyers and p cking houses

ke to see ve workshops.

scuss on and s the t p of the ent sts and

n the pub c process.”

ue Crab Research Program

ve research that he ps enhance North

ue crab fishery. To find out more about

t the Web: www.ncseagrant.org

Marc Turano at

ABOVE: Crabs are measured to make sure they are th n state regu at ons.

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crabbers, scientists and resource managers. heading out into the sound.

In the future, Henry woumore collaborati

“There was some good ddialogue,” says Henry. “But thiceberg. We need to get more sccrabbers involved i

The N.C. Bl

seeks innovati

Carolina’s bl

the program, visi

and click on “research.” Or, ca

910/5220-7060.