![]() ![]() This sauce was topped with portions of the body meat and served with bread. A sauce was made from wine vinegar, butter, orange juice, nutmeg, and beaten until it was thick. This mixture was dipped in a batter, a spoonful at a time, and fried in clarified butter. Once all the meat was pulled together, it was mixed with grated bread, almond paste, nutmeg, salt, and egg yolks. The bodies would be used for meat and then strained off for sauce. This recipe for frying crabs describes taking the meat out of partially boiled claws and the body. The earliest found recipe for preparing crabs comes from the 1685 edition of The Accomplisht Cook, by Robert May. The earliest evidence of crab feasts in the Maryland area date back to the 1200s, so we know they were eating them…but how? History of Seafood We have since mastered the ways of preparing and eating the crab, but we can only guess how the crabs were made over 800 years ago. Fisherman would go home with nothing to bring to the table except for the vicious, hard-shelled crab. The curses definitely stopped after the ancient Native American Blue Crab recipe was shared with the settlers. It is well known that the Native Americans ate plenty of the “beautiful swimmers” long before educating the settlers on how to consume the crustaceans that had long been cursed for tangling up fishing lines and clipping through the nets. Throughout the survey, biologists use dredge equipment to capture, measure, record and release blue crabs at 1,500 sites throughout the Chesapeake Bay from December through March.The Chesapeake Blue Crab has been a popular food source in the Maryland area dating back to long before the land was settled by European settlers in the 1600s. We're usually on the same page with our counterparts at the Virginia and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission," Luisi said. "We have a very good relationship with our management partners in the Chesapeake Bay. The Winter Dredge Survey has been conducted cooperatively by the department and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science since 1990, and the results are reviewed annually in an effort to have consistent management efforts across the jurisdictions. Will they find balance in blue crab domain? More on invasive species: Shrimp are migrating to Maryland waters. “This year’s survey follows two consecutive years of declines in the coverage of underwater grasses, one of the most important habitats for blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay It is like," Moore said.Īccording to the environmental organization, water quality issues are also being exacerbated by invasive species like the blue catfish. These reduced abundances highlight the need to continue to protect adult females in order help ensure better numbers in the future, he said. He also said that although juvenile population estimates can vary greatly from year to year, the 2022 results are the third year of below-average numbers in this segment of the population. "The continued low abundance of juveniles and adult males indicates the urgent need for action to protect these segments of the population.” “The results of this year’s survey continue a worrying trend for blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay region," Moore said. More on rising prices for crabs: Here's why your Chesapeake Bay blue crab feast may be more expensive this summer More on Bay cleanup efforts: $238 million earmarked to restore the Chesapeake Bay. They might be limited to their harvest and we may adjust the season, but that has yet to be determined," Luisi said.Ĭhris Moore, senior regional ecosystem scientist for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, decried the trend as sign that not enough is being done to improve the bay's ecosystem. "There are possible changes for the industry coming. Nonetheless, results showed there were 28 million adult male crabs, which is the lowest adult male abundance on record.Īmong the often overlooked factors to a healthy yield of blue crab is healthy Bay grass for juvenile crabs that has seen a decline over the past three years. There are environmental conditions and the changing climate among the number of factors," Michael Luisi, acting director of Fishing and Boating Services for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. "The causes of some of these issues are outside our control as managers. The number of spawning age female crabs has been above the management amount of 72.5 million crabs for eight consecutive years and at a level capable of producing a strong year class. The department noted Chesapeake Bay jurisdictions have maintained harvest of blue crabs at safe levels established in the last stock assessment since 2008. ![]()
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