For centuries, professional fishermen and amateurs alike have headed to the Chesapeake Bay and surrounding tributaries to go crabbing. While some have boats filled with dozens of crab traps, others have merely a net, patiently waiting to catch a blue crab, and later take it home to steam and devour every last bit of delicious goodness. These vintage photos will make you appreciate the tradition of crabbing in Maryland.
1. These men are arranging floats for soft-shell crabs in Oxford, circa 1899.
![alt](https://admin.onlyinyourstate.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/05/FMIB_38900_Floats_for_Soft_Crabs_at_Oxford_Maryland.jpeg?w=500&quality=50)
2. This photo taken in 1973 shows a young group catching crabs from a Chesapeake Bay dock.
![alt](https://admin.onlyinyourstate.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/05/CRABBING_FROM_A_MARINA_DOCK_ON_CHESAPEAKE_BAY_-_NARA_-_548523.jpg?w=500&quality=50)
3. Also in 1973, these men can be seen crabbing off a deteriorating dock near Port Covington in the Baltimore Harbor.
![alt](https://admin.onlyinyourstate.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/05/CRABBING_OFF_AN_OLD_DOCK_NEAR_PORT_COVINGTON_IN_BALTIMORE_HARBOR_-_NARA_-_546774.jpg?w=500&quality=50)
4. Zoom out, and you can see just how much pollution and junk litters the waters they're crabbing in.
![alt](https://admin.onlyinyourstate.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/05/CRABBING_FROM_AN_OLD_DOCK_IN_THE_MIDDLE_BRANCH_OF_BALTIMORE_HARBOR._DEAD_FISH_FLOAT_BESIDE_THE_DOCK._BUILDING_IN..._-_NARA_-_546944.jpg?w=500&quality=50)
5. These men are packing live crabs into barrels for shipment. Photo taken in Oxford in 1899.
![alt](https://admin.onlyinyourstate.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/05/FMIB_38930_Packing_Live_Hard_Crabs_in_Barrels_for_Shipment_at_Oxford_Maryland.jpeg?w=500&quality=50)
6. These scientists are lowering a trawl net into the Chesapeake Bay to capture blue crabs. Photo taken circa 1972.
![alt](https://admin.onlyinyourstate.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/05/HD.6D.398_10859133475.jpg?w=500&quality=50)
7. They then check the size, quantity, and sex of blue crabs in the Bay.
![alt](https://admin.onlyinyourstate.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/05/HD.6D.399_10859134585.jpg?w=500&quality=50)
8. And here is one of the scientists again, showing the difference between female and male blue crabs.
![alt](https://admin.onlyinyourstate.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/05/HD.6D.417_10946254725.jpg?w=500&quality=50)
9. An image of Crisfield in 1920, where crabbing was, and still is, an important part of life.
![alt](https://admin.onlyinyourstate.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/05/FMIB_35013_Shedding_House_floats_and_pound_or_incllosure_in_which_the_floats_are_tied_Crisfield_Md.jpeg?w=500&quality=50)
10. A wooden cooker for crabs. Photo taken in 1920.
![alt](https://admin.onlyinyourstate.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/05/FMIB_34996_One_form_of_box_or_wooden_cooker_used_at_points_in_Maryland.jpeg?w=500&quality=50)
Do you have family members who have told you stories about what the crabbing industry was like long ago? Do you currently catch blue crabs? Or like most of us, do you just enjoy feasting on them all summer long? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.
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