Blue crab beauty

Maryland blue crab

Since I was a young, Maryland's blue crabs have been a part of my life. After the first taste of the savory meat dipped in Old Bay, they have been an exotic treat to me-- their colors changing from blue green to bright red, covered with spicy sprinkles. I would eat them year round-- steamed or broiled, in cakes, imperial, soups, dip, soft shell or just the claws out of a can (my favorite). By mid-summer, I couldn't wait for the annual crab feast my family and neighbors would have. My dad would complain about the cost of a bushel year after year, but continue to buy them anyway; knowing that canceling such a tradition would cost more. If he were alive today, he would gasp at the costs. But he would feel worse that the crabs are starting to disappear.


Blue crabs have been a part of our heritage for centuries, and in 1989, they were named our state crustacean-- as if this was a category all states would have. They are considered a culinary delicacy, and are a prized item on menus throughout the world. They are funny looking and have names like Jimmie, Sally, Sook, and Sponger, which identify their sexes and maturity. They are found in the mid-Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Coast of Central America, and the Gulf of Mexico. But it is Maryland that the blue crab has made its most famous home, with the Chesapeake Bay's prized waters giving them shelter, at least for now.


What's just as beautiful about the blue colored crustaceans the origin of its name. The blue crab comes from the Greek and Latin, Callinectes sapidus, meaning “beautiful swimmer that is savory”: calli-beautiful, nectes-swimmer and sapidus-savory. This neglected beauty never tasted so good.


Unfortunately, for the past 20 years, the blue crab has suffered a lifetime of loss, and I worry that the memories I once savored will not be passed on for future generations to enjoy. Increased water pollution, dead zones, and ghost traps, or cages, have all contributed to its demise. The water where they are harvested is a pretty shade of blue and green, but the level of pollution that lies within has caused much alarm with emergency legislation being passed yearly to limit their harvest. For at least three years, there has been a prohibition on catching female crabs. 2008 was a record low year for their numbers, and while there was a 50% increase in female crabs in 2009, blue crabs are not out of the murky water yet.

Beautiful blue crabs

Just 25' under the austere waters of the Chesapeake Bay, lie 'dead zones', areas where excess nitrogen and phosphorous have built up from pollution coming downstream, causing algae to eat up the nutrients and use up all the oxygen. The result is blue crabs and other bottom dwellers become oxygen starved and start dying.

To make things worse, there are an estimated 42,000 ghost traps lying on the floor of the bay that trap crabs, fish and sea life, killing them quickly. Removing these cages may be possible by targeting areas such as the mouths of rivers where there are larger numbers of them. But it will be time consuming and costly.

Ghost crab trap. Courtesy of Baltimore Sun Blog, Bay and Environment

As problems continue to affect the Maryland blue crab, there is little hope for them returning to their legendary status. The only thing that can be done now is to work towards improving the water quality--a huge undertaking-- and to organize sustainable fisheries. But can the mistakes of the past be corrected to affect massive re-growth? With the bushel amounts dropping, fishermen are quitting. They are an equally important component of the Bay’s heritage, as are the crab-pickers who prepare the meat for packaging. As they all worry about the blue crab's extinction, they fear their jobs are becoming extinct as well.

Woman picks crab, Eastern Shore, MD. Courtesy of Crisfield News

Until there is a massive clean up implemented in the Chesapeake Bay, and the waters get cleaner, the Maryland blue crab becomes another neglected beauty that I regret having to add to this list. The heritage of this beautiful, savory swimmer is just too important to ever lose.

You can help the blue crab by contacting:
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Chesapeake Bay Program
Hoopers Island Fisherman, courtesy of Getty Images

Resources:
Bay Journal,
Maryland DNR Chesapeake Bay Program
Baltimore's famous painted crab

Photos provided by:
The Crab Place
Taste of the Chesapeake
Crisfield News