March 2023 | Page 35

blue crabs are displaying their typical seasonal behavior , says Katherine Rodrigue , a principal marine biologist with DEM ’ s Marine Fisheries Division . Blue crabs are dormant in the winter and sort themselves by sex , with the males and juveniles sleeping under the sediment of the upper bay and the females settling themselves in the open waters at the southern end to release their spawn into the ocean come spring . DEM ’ s first efforts found abundance and the crabs appropriately separated by sex . The question , says Rodrigue , is if Rhode Island winters are mild enough to keep winter mortality low and the surviving population high to support a commercial fishery .

“ We think blue crabs are trending , but it ’ s variable from year to year . No one has done a comprehensive assessment ,” she says . “ We do have existing data , but that has to be analyzed to better understand their population dynamics in Narragansett Bay . The winter dredge will allow for more targeted long-term monitoring .”

Come Memorial Day , Williams expects the Narragansett Crab Company to have its official ribbon-cutting , with the processing side of the business up and running by 2024 . He has been raising his brand ’ s profile since the summer of 2021 , with a small retail store selling Narragansett Crab Company T-shirts and other paraphernalia , and a food truck featuring crab sandwiches .

On this wild winter day , the Aces High pulls starboard to the dock , and a human conveyor belt forms to move 10,000 pounds of writhing Jonah crabs from the boat ’ s belly to the gray plastic crates , to the scale , to the pallet , to the waiting truck . The pace is slow , but the Narragansett Crab Company expects everything to pick up considerably when the renovation is complete .

“ It ’ s going to go from zero production to the sky ’ s the limit ,” Fuka says . “ And every pound of fish we log credits the landing to Rhode Island , which shows productivity and a working port . It ’ s a really big deal , and the number continues to climb .” ^🆁

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