July 28, 2025 — Fans of Maryland blue crabs have known they have been difficult to find in recent years, and that many of the crabs at fish markets and restaurants are from North Carolina and Louisiana.
Now, North Carolina is considering restrictions that could drop the annual harvest by 21%.
According to the state’s Division of Marine Fisheries, North Carolina has historically provided 22% of the annual blue crabs catch since 1950. In 1996, watermen in North Carolina caught 65 million pounds of blue crab.