Long live blue crabs

Blue crabs, my MD blue crabs have had a rough time of late. As a kid, I remember you could see the trucks parked off 210, the white boxy trucks like UPS uses, that had bushels of crabs. Tons of crabs for us to eat. Sometimes, the seller would have a steamer right off to the side of the truck, steaming the crabs fresh for us. My mom would buy the live crabs, we'd bring them home and I'd bring my friends over to watch the crabs bubble, bubble and do their little side-dance.

We'd watch them, and name them and occasionally spit [because kids can be stupid] at them but we did like those crabs. Off into the pot they would go, fighting and clawing the whole way. Being boiled alive can't be much fun but the crabs made a tasty meal, a delicious meal and at least they were well appreciated. I'd like to believe that counted for something. And now, the crabs are less plentiful, they come ashore to breathe, when they get desperate and they resort to cannibalism. Not a fun time, at all, for my MD crabs, the cannibalism.