How many crabs = a DNR pound

[whynot]

I was just looking at all the dnr figures on the dredge survey and was wondering how many crabs do they estimate that it takes to make the pound they use in their stats of millions of pounds a year . It sure gets confusing when they jump back and forth between crabs and pounds of crabs in their stats .

I wonder how many pounds they estimate a bushel to be and how many crabs they estimate is in a avg. bushel

They say that an estmated 300 million crabs overwintered in the bay bet.2007 and 2008 and that an estimate of 49 million pounds were harvested in 2008.

If we harvested 50% of the 300 million thats 150 million equaling 49 million pounds means thats about 3 crabs a pound I guess

With 5" to 8" crabs plus peelers it must take a lot of calculating and guesstimating

Tony

[crabfish]

I think, and I may be totally off base, but the survey estimates crabs that overwintered in the bay. So, not all 50% in your example were taken from the estimated number of 300 million, some crab came into the bay during spring/summer to help add up to 49 million pounds harvested.

[Jim Bright]

I think a DNR bushel = 40 pounds

[whynot]

I think, and I may be totally off base, but the survey estimates crabs that overwintered in the bay. So, not all 50% in your example were taken from the estimated number of 300 million, some crab came into the bay during spring/summer to help add up to 49 million pounds harvested.


your probably right . If I add another 100 million to the 300 thats 400 x 50% is 200 million divided by 49 is about 4 crabs per pound . That sure seems low to me . Again , I know it's got to be more complicated than that . Just thought someone might have checked it out already with dnr .

Tony

[Big Liar]

40lbs does = 1 bushel. For #1 crabs, there are usually about 60 - 70 crabs in a bushel. If they are huge, I've seen as few as 52 crabs fill up a bushel. For #2's I would say an avg. of 90 crabs per bushel. Sooks tend to be heavier so 90 sooks will weigh a little more than 40lbs. but now you are splitting hairs.

[POLECAT]

Using the above math: 4 crabs to the pound = each crab weighs 1/4<SUP>th</SUP> pound (4 ounces) <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
If a bushel of crabs weighs 40 pounds, then that means there are 160 crabs in that bushel. They gotta be small!!!!<o:p></o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
Most bushels of #1 males weighs over 40 pounds (not counting the basket) and usually there are fewer than 60 crabs in that bushel.<o:p></o:p>
A basket of #2 crabs can have around 100 crabs in it, sometimes more, almost always more than 85 crabs unless they are large lightweights.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
Looks like fuzzy math to me when jumping back and forth between millions of individual crabs and pounds of crabs.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
One thing to remember: Not all crabs dredged up in the survey are #1. Most likely a bushel of dredged crabs weighs somewhere in the neighborhood of 34 - 37 pounds and has around 80 to 100 critters in the basket. But that’s just a guess. I’d really be interested in knowing the weight and quantity of an average bushel of WDS crabs. Wouldn’t you?<o:p></o:p>

[crabby and son]

There is so much variable in the weight of the crabs..........Gary

[done workin]

Looks like fuzzy math to me when jumping back and forth between millions of individual crabs and pounds of crabs.

Dazzle 'em with brilliance baffle them with b___t.

Chris

[Burchbeer]

:rolleyes::rolleyes:

[bigjimmybuster]

Last year we went early Friday and again early Saturday. Friday we filled one bushel to the top and did the same on Saturday. They were some extra large to jumbo size crabs and we figured we had about 60 - 70 crabs in each basket. Saturday afternoon when we started cooking, my wife counted the crabs as we unloaded the baskets. The first basket only had 34 crabs in it and the second basket ony had 33 crabs in it. I will tell you for a fact thay each of those basket weighed more than forty pounds. We buy our dog food in forty pound bags and these baskets were heavier than a bag of dog food. I don't know what the DNR is using as a guage but I can tell you that the crabs we got at end of July were damn near a pound each. Now that's a good way to spend the morning on the river. Let's hope for more of the same this year.

[Clark W. Griswold]

Last year we went early Friday and again early Saturday. Friday we filled one bushel to the top and did the same on Saturday. They were some extra large to jumbo size crabs and we figured we had about 60 - 70 crabs in each basket. Saturday afternoon when we started cooking, my wife counted the crabs as we unloaded the baskets. The first basket only had 34 crabs in it and the second basket ony had 33 crabs in it. I will tell you for a fact thay each of those basket weighed more than forty pounds. We buy our dog food in forty pound bags and these baskets were heavier than a bag of dog food. I don't know what the DNR is using as a guage but I can tell you that the crabs we got at end of July were damn near a pound each. Now that's a good way to spend the morning on the river. Let's hope for more of the same this year.

PICS, or it didn't happen. I would just throw the bs flag, but I can't seem to find it right now.