Are Maryland Blue Crabs really from Maryland? Probably not, even when in season. The demand is far greater than what the Bay can produce. As a result, up to 95%, depending on the productivity of the Bay in any given year, of "fresh steamed, Maryland Blue Crabs" you get at a restaurant are shipped to local seafood houses from North Carolina and the Gulf states like Louisiana and Alabama. The seafood houses, in turn, sells them (along with the harvest our watermen do get) as Maryland Blue Crabs.
In fact, when the NC harvest of blue crabs is good (NC has lax restrictions compared to MD), our local watermen suffer. Last year, for example, our local watermen fetched $65/bushel. NC had a bumper harvest and the price per bushel was driven down, even though the average consumer still shelled out around $200/bushel.
This year, the NC crab harvest isn't so good so our watermen are getting $100/bushel. The average consumer can still expect to pay around $200/bushel.
If you're wondering why the retail price per bushel is about the same as last year, but the watermen are getting 17.5% more per bushel, it's because the seafood houses (many are locally owned) need to meet the consumer demand, but they can't "import" the cheaper NC crabs and pass them off as "Maryland blue crabs", so they have to pay our local watermen higher prices for what they catch.
Yes, it's our seafood industry's dirty little secret. As long as the crab passes through our seafood houses, it's a Maryland blue crab even if the crab was caught in NC.
Can you tell I am researching where our crabs really come from? I am surprised to learn two things:
1. There are no laws dictating that to be called "Maryland blue crab", the crab needs to have been harvested from the Chesapeake and it's tributaries.
2. Our own, locally owned and operated seafood houses willingly buy the cheaper NC or Gulf states' blue crabs, pass them off as "Maryland blue crabs" and our local watermen are forced to accept the lower prices per bushel. Especially during lean years, that lower prices can mean the difference between eking out a living wage for the day or spending more money to take the boat out than what they can earn in their catch.
When it comes to our "Maryland crab cakes", the fraud is even more severe. You may be buying a "Maryland crab cake" at your favorite locally owned and operated restaurant thinking you are supporting our local watermen, but there's a good chance you're supporting an Indonesian or Venezuelan waterman.
I don't know what happened to the "True Blue" labeling effort, but, as consumers, we should start asking our restaurants to sign up for it.
In fact, when the NC harvest of blue crabs is good (NC has lax restrictions compared to MD), our local watermen suffer. Last year, for example, our local watermen fetched $65/bushel. NC had a bumper harvest and the price per bushel was driven down, even though the average consumer still shelled out around $200/bushel.
This year, the NC crab harvest isn't so good so our watermen are getting $100/bushel. The average consumer can still expect to pay around $200/bushel.
If you're wondering why the retail price per bushel is about the same as last year, but the watermen are getting 17.5% more per bushel, it's because the seafood houses (many are locally owned) need to meet the consumer demand, but they can't "import" the cheaper NC crabs and pass them off as "Maryland blue crabs", so they have to pay our local watermen higher prices for what they catch.
Yes, it's our seafood industry's dirty little secret. As long as the crab passes through our seafood houses, it's a Maryland blue crab even if the crab was caught in NC.
Can you tell I am researching where our crabs really come from? I am surprised to learn two things:
1. There are no laws dictating that to be called "Maryland blue crab", the crab needs to have been harvested from the Chesapeake and it's tributaries.
2. Our own, locally owned and operated seafood houses willingly buy the cheaper NC or Gulf states' blue crabs, pass them off as "Maryland blue crabs" and our local watermen are forced to accept the lower prices per bushel. Especially during lean years, that lower prices can mean the difference between eking out a living wage for the day or spending more money to take the boat out than what they can earn in their catch.
When it comes to our "Maryland crab cakes", the fraud is even more severe. You may be buying a "Maryland crab cake" at your favorite locally owned and operated restaurant thinking you are supporting our local watermen, but there's a good chance you're supporting an Indonesian or Venezuelan waterman.
I don't know what happened to the "True Blue" labeling effort, but, as consumers, we should start asking our restaurants to sign up for it.
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