INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVES - THE HARD BLUE-CRAB FISHERY - ATLANTIC AND GULF

North America's blue crab fisheries have undergone dramatic changes in the past 20 years. Market demands and fluctuations in resource suppli es are greater in today's age of telecommunications and global commerc e. Although traditional industry practices prevail changes are needed in the ways that crabs are managed, processed, and preserved. Resource issues of commercial importance to the hard blue crab industry are re gulatory efforts to limit days of harvest, types of crabs landed, amou nt of gear allowed, and number of fishers permitted. Conflicts between hard and soft crab harvesters, resurgence of such predator fish as th e Atlantic striped bass and Gulf red drum, and dredging of winter crab s continue to divide the industry. In addition, resolving issues of fo od safety, ergonomics, and domestic labor supply is important. Domesti c issues are better utilization of the whole crab, increased costs for solid and liquid waste disposal, inconsistent regulatory enforcement by district, and rapid influx of foreign fishers and pickers. Importan t market issues are the demand for female crabs in Asia, increased dem and for live basket crabs, poor quality of picking crabs, indiscrimina te labeling of other swimming crabs as blue crab meat, and lower produ ction costs and nonequivalent regulatory standards in foreign countrie s. In addition, market acceptability of new tamper-evident packaging, regulatory scrutiny for Listeria, decomposition, and mandatory Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) inspection will be important i ssues. The outlook for the commercial hard blue crab industry is uncle ar. As long as consumers drive market demand, pressure on our resource s will continue to grow. From an industry perspective, changes are war ranted to ensure the commercial viability of these important North Ame rica blue crab fisheries and processing industries.