Oh Where Did All the Crabs Go!!

A few years ago, okay so it was more than a few...but who's counting. Kachamak Bay was crawling with crabs...Dungie's, Kings, and Opis could be found in the average shrimp pots that were placed around the Bay. I can recall my father and his crew going Halibut fishing...yes us kids stayed home under the watchful eye of "the BIG sister." Upon the adults return home a seafood supper would be held...clams, crab, shrimp and halibut IF the fishermen were lucky. Now for those that know my mixed up family...Heidi and I DO NOT like seafood...so after a very long day of fighting over who is in charge of who we were not even rewarded with pizza...just fish. Now I do believe that many times the adults probably consumed crab out of season and probably were a bit paronoid of being caught but who in their right mind would turn one back if it happened into a legal shrimp pot? Crab populations of Kachamak Bay were so abundant that my father and uncle once told me when the "undesirables" show up...such as unwanted boy friends and spouses...they were often taken "fishing" and never returned...the crabs and other bottom feeders would take care of the evidence left by any over exuberant fisherman who happened to fall into the water. Remember the prison system we have today was not as structured and you REALY had to mess up to end up there...so people of Kachamak Bay took care of their problems themselves...and kept the crab populations happy. A few years back they called a hault to all crabbing in the Kachamak Bay area...the crabs were gone. Many believe the population was wiped out due to over fishing, I know other wise. At the time when crabs were in the Bay, fishermen everywhere tried different things to keep the crab happy and in abundance...by the masses, these crabs were fed and treated like royalty...the monies brought in durring Crab Season were the way of life for the community by the sea. Some fishermen began making friends with the Crabs...talking to them about when the best times to fish are and where the largest Halibut could be found...this little dicussion was done privatly as to keep the secret fishing grounds secret. Here my friends is the evidence...after a good meal of "undesirables" the crabs began to prefer that after dinner cigerette. (Note this one is smoking a menthol). This particular crab was smuggled into our camp site, he was questioned untill the answeres sought were recieved, allowed this last smoke, then turned into dinner to hide the evidance. So where did the crabs of Kachamak Bay go? Well those that managed to get away from this particular "fish terrorist" crawled their way over hills and swamps to return to the sea...some made it...some became birdy chow. The ones that returned to their friends below the waves returned with "man drugs." Peer pressure quickly past through the community of crabs, and fishermen every where began "losing" their cigerettes over the sides of their boats...with out the assistance of modern technology under the sea...the crabs all died of "gill cancer". So this my friends and family is the true reason the crabs of Kachamak Bay have almost disappeared...dont take your cigerettes out on the water...I hear it's killing the smoked fish industry. my reality