Crab Feast Fun Facts

There’s a reason that blue crabs always come up when talking about Maryland: it’s one of the most fundamental parts of Maryland culture and a staple of every summer. But what do you actually know about blue crabs?

The Chesapeake blue crab’s Latin name, callinectes sapidus, means “beautiful and savory swimmer.” Though there are over 850 types of crabs, Chesapeake blue are the ones found along the East coast. The females mate only one time in their lives, but they can produce eggs repeatedly afterward and sometimes as many as 2 million eggs in one spawning!

It takes our local crabs about 18 months to reach maturity, but they will molt their shells dozens of times in their lifespans.

So how did we come to love them so much?

The rich biodiversity of the Chesapeake Bay has long offered its inhabitants a wide range of food options, so eating blue crabs has been a tradition in this area since the time of the Native Americans. The crabs really grew in popularity in the 1700s and 1800s, though, as the area became more populated with settlers and refrigeration methods improved.

Now, blue crabs are practically synonymous with Maryland. As of 2013, crab landings in Maryland made $19 million and the Maryland blue crab fisheries make up 20% of the whole country’s blue crab production. Crab feasts, crab cakes, Old Bay and more – that’s what a Maryland summer is made of.

PDG hosts a local Crab Feast each year in September at the beautiful Kurtz’s Beach. It’s a great opportunity to enjoy and continue a strong Maryland tradition while supporting a deserving cause. This year’s crab feast will feature cornhole, a bouncy house, raffles, games of chance, a DJ, and some new activities like limbo, Snapchat filters, and a photo booth with props!

All crab information courtesy of Wikipedia.