Blue Crabs

Well-known symbols of the Chesapeake, blue crabs support one of the Bay's largest and most valuable fisheries. They also support a way of life. Whether commercial watermen fishing wire pots or recreational crabbers dangling chicken necks, those who live in Bay country have come to depend on the blue crab for food, for income, for fun.

Maryland Sea Grant has supported research into blue crab biology, helped to synthesize complex and at times contradictory information, and has assisted the Chesapeake Bay Commission in its efforts to foster a Baywide approach to blue crab management. To learn more about blue crab research and management, follow the links on the left, or read more about crabs in our magazine, Chesapeake Quarterly.