Diesel Fuel Prices Could Put A Damper on Crabbing Season

CAMBRIDGE, Md. - Two weeks into crabbing season and there are still plenty of crabbing pots sitting on shore and high gas prices are to blame.

Crabs haven't made their way to the northern part of the Chesapeake Bay just yet, leaving some watermen like Scott Todd no choice but to remain docked.

"I can't afford to travel down to the lower part of the bay to look for crabs," said Scott Todd. "There are a few crabs there now but it's too expensive to run down there and we just can't sail down there on speculation."

At the Gateway Marina in Trappe, Md. the price for a gallon of diesel fuel is just under $4. Some watermen say if the price continues to rise, they won't be able to stay afloat.

"We burn anywhere from 30 to 50 gallons a day so if it's over four dollars a gallon that's between $180 and $200 a day," said Todd.

Cambridge watermen Harry Insley finds himself in the same boat. He says watermen won't catch enough crabs to make paying for diesel fuel worth their while. "It's got to be a lot of crabs to make up for it," said Insley." I don't see that happening this year."

Watermen will be less likely to travel long distances with gas prices so high. Harry says that could mean more competition out on the water. "For where I am, it makes for a lot more competition".

And for some watermen, their long days just got even longer. They're saving gas, but not saving time.

"We're leaving the docks a little bit earlier and so we're taking a slower ride to the pots just to save fuel," said Todd.