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Maryland is for Crabs - At a Price

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Let me assure you that slogan does not refer to the attitude of Maryland residents or visitors. It refers to blue crabs from the Chesapeake Bay. In fact, Maryland is a very friendly place!

Maryland is for Crabs became an official tourism slogan of the State in 1989 when the Callinectes sapidus (blue crab) became Maryland's "State Crustacean". By the way, Maryland is not the only place to have blue crabs in their waters; you'll find them in Virginia (also on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay), North Carolina, Louisiana, Florida, and Texas.

Maryland Governor O'Malley and Virginia Governor Kaine recently appeared together to announce new regulations they hope will save a declining crab population in the Chesapeake and its tributaries. To make a long speech short: Crab harvesting will be severely limited in the foreseeable future.

You know what happens when supply goes down: prices go up. Why not start your crab feast earlier in the day by going crabbing with your guests to catch your own crabs. It might be fun! No license is required when you crab from the many docks, piers, bridges, boats and miles of Maryland shoreline using dip nets or hand-lines.

But keep in mind these new restrictions on recreational crabbing:

No harvesting of female crabs, except for soft crabs.
A limit of 4-5 dozen crabs per individual (must be licensed).
A limit of 10-12 dozen crabs per boat (2 or more licensed crabbers on board).
No crabbing after sunset on the Bay and tributaries.
One-hour difference between recreational and commercial trotliners.

With this beautiful spring weather, what Marylander isn't already thinking CRAB FEAST? Just be prepared to pay a pretty penny, if you don't catch your own.

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Posted by Margaret Woda, Maryland Real Estate on 04/20/2008 08:03 AM

Comments (18)

crabbing, maryland crabs, fort george g meade, usna, northrop grumman, bwi, nsa

Originally posted at: Fort Meade - USNA - Andrews AFB: Maryland is for Crabs - At a Price

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18 Comments on Maryland is for Crabs - At a Price

APR

2008

Margaret..... I love Blue Claw crabs and the crabs from Maryland. Thanks for the little lesson about Maryland's slogan and how many you can catch. I love visiting the Harve De Grace area just for the crabs and that one good restaurant down by the water. I can't remember the name though.

Having lived in Frederick MD for several years (had to come back to FLorida, too cold) I can attest...the crabs are good, (most of) the people are better!

Margaret,

My father, who was an avid athlete who enjoyed and played several sports, enjoyed crabbing as a pasttime more than any other recreational activity!!! Thanks, Fran

I see the strict limits on the crabs. I wonder if Louisiana is far behind?

The blue crabs are a lot of work but very tasty. We catch them while at our place in Hilton Head. No restrictions there yet that I have heard of.

We have good friends who live in Maryland and love those blue crabs. We'll be down there next month...maybe we'll have to go try some.

Margaret- I see your restrictions on blue crabs are getting as tough as ours are on crabs out here. Salmon too are being restricted. We might see $40.00 a pound for wild salmon this season. I am not sure what that will do to the salmon fishing industry but hopefully a solution that works for all can be put into place.

Best,

Scott

Margaret, our Clowns Unit at the Shriners hosts an annual Crab Feast as a charity fundraiser. This year because of the increased price of crabs, we've decided to change the menu from crabs to something else (yet to be determined). It's a shame b/c it's been a fine tradition for many many years.

Hi Margaret,
I'm ready! Love to sit around the table with friends and pick crabs, juice dripping off our elbows. Now that's a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. My mouth is watering.

Yummy, you are making me hungry with this little history lesson on crabs...I LOVE crabs...I LOVE most food though!

I'm with Mary.... You're making me hungry. We have some friends in NC that have a blue crab hatchery. Those little devils are some kind of good eating. :)

Margaret- We go crabbing and lobstering down in these parts too. But I heard Maine is the best :) Sounds like loads of fun though.

Jeff - We, too, like our crabs at restaurants. I just don't have the heart to drop a live crab into boiling water.
Gary - Thank you, on both counts!
Fran - The thing we enjoy most about eating crabs is the social experience, but I may have my husband talked into going crabbing this summer for the first time. If it happens, I'll be sure to blog about it.
John - The crab population is really suffering from over-harvesting in Maryland, and we import blue crabs from other states to satisfy the demand. I wouldn't be surprised if other states have similar issues.
Chip - They are work to pick and eat, but it's usually a great time for friends to actually talk instead of eat and run.

Monika, 'hope you have a chance to visit Annapolis. It's always beautiful, but spring is the best!
Scott, So many repercussions when limits like this are put into effect. Probably financially tough on those in the crab industry, expensive for consumers, and fewer of those great community crab feasts for fundraisers.
Brian, Funny thing - I just mentioned that might be a side-effect of the more expensive crabs. Unfortunate! The Anne Arundel County Association of Realtors used to have an annual crab feast as a major fundraiser, and that was discontinued a few years ago because of the costs leaving little room for profit.
Cynthia - 'Won't be long. I'm looking forward to it.
Mary - I think the best part of crabs is often the comraderie. And, for some reason, crabs are great after a hard day of yard work. I guess the relaxation of a slow meal.
Jesse - You'll have to ask your friends how they're affected by limits like this.
Katerina - I don't think they have blue crabs in Maine, but I could be wrong. They do in Floriday, though.

APR

2008

ah crab I love it.... what a great day this would be to go crabbing then cook them and have a feast - you certainly bring up a good idea

Even though it is morning, fresh crab is always tasty! Sounds good even now with my coffee!

APR

2008

Margaret, Why don't we have an Active Rain Crab feast here in the Baltimore area?

APR

2008

Margaret - that would be great, but it looks like crabs might be expensive this year. Option 2: a cruise on the Baltimore Harbour - maybe a mid-week lunchtime one, so it would be less expensive.

Sharon - Crabs with coffee - 'just doesn't sound as good as crabs with cold beer.

Thesa - What kind of crabs do you have in Oregon?

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