THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Tuesday, April 25, 1995                TAG: 9504250341
SECTION: LOCAL                    PAGE: B3   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 
TYPE: Briefs 
DATELINE: JACKSONVILLE                       LENGTH: Short :   28 lines

BLUE CRAB CATCH LOW, BUT PRICES ARE HIGH

The state's fishermen may see fewer blue crabs this year, but they're getting much higher prices for the ones they catch.

``I am seeing an increase of about 50 percent over what I paid last year,'' said Mickey Daniels, owner of Daniels Seafood in Nags Head.

Prices have shot up because of limited supply and growing demand, said Sam Thomas, vice president of Cryotech, a seafood processing center near New Bern.

Crab harvests have been smaller in Maryland, Louisiana and Virginia, Thomas said.

In 1994, crabbers in North Carolina landed 55.4 million pounds of blue crabs that brought in $29 million, according to the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries.

Last year, Maryland, Louisiana, Virginia and North Carolina harvested nearly 80 percent of the nation's blue crabs. by CNB