Game Decisions

Waterman Decisions

As a waterman, you must choose how many days to dredge and pot for crabs. See below for descriptions of these two methods. The length of the dredging and potting seasons are determined by the Bay Regulator (see below). Remember, this is your livlihood! The two roles should work together to find a balance between the watermans success and a stable crab population.

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Potting Background Information

Maximum season: 255 days

• • Potting occurs during the crab season, May- October
• • Less restrictions during potting season
• • Less environmental impact because pots rest on bottom
• • Less expensive

Dredging Background Information

Maximum season: 90 days

• • Dredging is the type of crabbing that occurs in the off season, November – April.
• • This is when crabs bury themselves 3-5 inches into the sediment for hibernation.
• • Dredging is more environmentally damaging- turns up the sediment, decreasing water clarity and disturbing other benthic dwelling organisms, but necessary to many for income during the offseason

Additonal gear may be purchased once during the game play for the price of $50,000; this may increase your harvest yield.

Above: Dredge (left) and crab pot (right)

Bay Regulator Decisions

The Bay Regulator controls the length of the crabbing seasons, as well as the maximum number of crabs that can be caught per round (2 year iterations).

• Open the dredging season between 0-90 days
• Open the potting season between 0-255 days
• Limit each waterman in your watershed to a certain number of crabs per round

Things to consider between rounds:

• The MSY (Maximum Sustainable Yield) Ratio: You want this number to be as close to 1 as possible, to maintain a sustainable crab fishery
• The crab price/lb and crab population for the iteration
• The economic situation of the waterman in your watershed. Talk to your waterman to see if theyre making a decent living!