July 19th, 2021 by WCBC Radio

The cost of crabs being served in Maryland restaurants has nearly doubled from year to year, according to a recent survey.

Some of that increase appears to be the result of scarcity caused by Maryland's chronic labor shortage. Businesses reportedly are having a hard time finding employees to pick the meat out of the crab's sharp shells.

However, there is also a notable shortage at the source: State officials estimate there are about 282 million crabs in the Chesapeake Bay, which is well below the 2020 estimate of 405 million.