Crab Fishing
August 25, 2011
Crab Fishing; Winslow Homer, 1883
— Comments —
Buck O. writes:
A light quibble with Mr. Homer. A waterman doesn’t fish for crab. One is a crabber engaged in crabbing. Winslow Homer lived his last 27 years in Maine, but, I’m not surprised at the title. Mr. Homer could never be a “homer” or accepted as a Mainer, something understood by anyone who has spent sufficient time in Maine.
Laura writes:
You’re right. I didn’t notice that. There is no such thing as a “crab fisherman.”
Buck adds:
I thought that I’d follow-up with a recommendation of the definitive book about waterman and crabs, Beautiful Swimmers. (I’ve unsuccessfully searched my house for my old copy. It has to be here somewhere.) It is wonderfully written in a unique and charming bay-waterman’s language. Our Chesapeake was once the most productive estuary in the world. The tonnage of oysters and crabs that fed the high-life of New England in early 20th century was astounding. Those days are long gone. The blue crab population fluctuates wildly in relation to demand and restrictions, and to that of the rock fish population that eats the youngest crabs.
One startling point about this dying bay: Oyster counts used to be estimated by measuring the depth of the massive oyster beds – probing through until you hit the sandy bay bottom. Now it’s a visual count – how many can you see, spread out, within a square yard.
I buy crabs from a local waterman who lives here, not on the bay, in our urban residential area. He has two walk-in coolers at the end of his driveway. His name is Jimmie. I’ve been encouraging his wife Lois, who runs the “store,” to change her name to Sookie. She just laughs.
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