Casten blames the decrease in blue crabs on pollution and overconsumption. The CBF report states that the crabs’ habitats are vulnerable to warming water temperatures and runoff pollutants from farms and urban areas, leading to the loss of the crabs’ underwater grasses.
“Environmental conditions are less favorable to the crab now than they have been in prior years,” Casten says. Casten says that very few restaurants in the DMV area currently are able to serve local crabmeat, and that many more will turn to imported sources as prices continue to rise. Last year, he says, Maryland crabmeat cost upwards of $60 per pound.
“The Mid-Atlantic region has a high demand for crabmeat,” Casten says. “As its local source dries up, the price of the imports will go up as well. So everybody’s going to pay more.”While the average consumer may not always be able to distinguish between local and imported crab, Casten says, there are significant differences: crab from the bay is fresh, not pasteurized, which makes them a “dramatically better product.
For crab buyers, Casten offers simple advice: ask where your food is coming from, and make sure you know what you’re paying for.