A seine is a large net used for catching fish and crabs. There are various sizes, but the size most often used by family crabbers is a rectangular seine, four feet high by eight feet long, with mesh openings of one eighth of an inch. Anything longer becomes too much work for children to pull in the water. The short seine is easy to pull and the small mesh net catches minnows, grass shrimp, and other creatures, as well as crabs. The seining experience could well be considered a unit in aquatic biology!

An eight foot seine costs about $10 to $15 at a sporting goods, or hardware store. Wet the seine before you work with it. You will notice small floats are tied to the seine along the top, at three foot intervals. This keeps the upper edge of the seine floating on top of the water. One-half ounce lead weights (tube-type) are attached at the bottom of the seine at one-foot intervals. These weights hold the lower edge of the seine to the water bottom.

Get two, one by one inch, five to six foot cedar (or other hard wood) poles. Tie the poles securely to each side of the seine. The bottom part of each pole protrudes about two inches below the bottom end of the seine; the remaining length extends above the floats.

Seining requires two people moving parallel to each other from deeper water toward the shore. Wear shoes. Old sneakers (tennis shoes) are recommended not only to protect your feet from sharp shells, broken glass, and other objects underwater, but also from hungry crabs.

Each person moves through the water with one hand about two feet from the bottom of the pole, and the other near the top of the seine. Tilt the poles back to lift the net out of the water.

Allow the top part of the pole to go backwards until it is at a 60 degree angle to the bottom. Drag the bottom of the seine through the sand or mud by applying more pressure to the hand that is two feet from the bottom edge of the seine. As both people move inshore at the same time, they move slightly toward each other. The seine will flare or billow out in the rear forming a large pocket.

If your intention is to catch crabs, the Maryland law requires that the seine be pulled up in the water and not on shore. Legal sized crabs should be kept in the proper container; those under the limit are set free.

An invention of necessity is to prop a bushel basket inside of an inner-tube attached to a rope. The other end of the rope to tied around the crabbers waist. Seining is an interesting side adventure in conjunction with other methods of crabbing.