OCEAN CITY – There are mixed feelings in the air on the supply of blue crabs this season — some crab houses are saying they have no problem while others are remaining optimistic while they wait for the crustaceans to come out of hiding.
In April, Gov. Martin O’Malley announced the Chesapeake Bay’s juvenile blue crab population is at the highest level on record and the overall blue population is at its highest level since 1993.
A survey conducted by the DNR estimated 764 million crabs spent this winter in the Chesapeake Bay, nearly 66 percent more than last year. Juvenile crabs reached a record high of 587 million, nearly triple last year's 207 million. The previous record of 512 million was set in 1997.
While that surely considered good news, many local crab houses do not rely on Chesapeake blue crabs to meet the tremendous demand in the Ocean City area for the sweet taste of blue crab meat.
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