Why the Chesapeake Bay’s beloved blue crabs are at an all-time low

For a third straight year, the number of crabs in the Chesapeake Bay has dropped, this time to an all-time low. And even the scientists who worked on the most recent winter dredge survey, which measures the population, grow wistful when they consider the colorful crustacean so central to Baltimore and Maryland culture. “It’s something you do in summer. You pick crabs and spend an extended meal with wooden mallets and cold beer and tell jokes and reminisce,” said Thomas Miller, professor of fisheries science and director of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, who has been part of the survey team since its inception 33 years ago.