![[photo, Red and yellow crab pots (traps), Chesapeake Beach, Maryland]](/msa/mdmanual/37mun/chesapeakeb/images/1198-1-312.jpg)
A prominent producer and processor of seafood, Maryland is a national leader in supplying blue crabs and soft clams. Indeed, fifty percent of the total blue crab harvest in the United States is provided by the Chesapeake Bay. Besides blue crabs, important commercial species in Maryland include striped bass, oysters, soft clams, flounder, perch, spot, croaker, catfish, sea trout, and bluefish.
Each year, the Maryland seafood industry contributes nearly $600 million to the State's economy.
Red & yellow crab pots (traps), Chesapeake Beach, Maryland, December 2002. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.
![[photo, Yellow crab pots (traps), Chesapeake Beach, Maryland]](/msa/mdmanual/37mun/chesapeakeb/images/1198-1-310.jpg)
Within the Department of Agriculture, the Seafood Marketing Advisory Commission promotes increased distribution and consumption of Maryland seafood.
The Department of Agriculture's True Blue Program certifies restaurants that get at least 75% of their crabmeat from Maryland blue crabs. Maryland started a campaign to encourage the harvesting and eating of blue catfish, an invasive species that has spread throughout the Chesapeake Bay. In September 2018, the Blue Catfish Purchasing Initiative, a partnership of the Departments of Agriculture, General Services, and Natural Resources, was launched to sell cases of catfish harvested in Maryland to State institutions, including hospitals, public schools, and correctional facilities.
Yellow crab pots (traps), Chesapeake Beach, Maryland, December 2002. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.
COMMERCIAL LANDINGS | 2021 | 2022 | ||
| Blue Crabs | 13,849,299 lbs. | 14,354,924 lbs. | ||
| Striped Bass | 1,610,800 lbs. | 1,565,256 lbs. | ||
| Eastern Oysters | 1,391,248 lbs. | 1,768,392 lbs. | ||
| Total | 16,851,347 lbs. | 17,688,572 lbs. |
DOCKSIDE VALUE | 2021 | 2022 | ||
| Blue Crabs | $35,699,237 | $30,990,493 | ||
| Striped Bass | $5,741,551 | $5,498,573 | ||
| Eastern Oysters | $15,403,761 | $24,742,284 | ||
| Total | $56,844,549 | $61,231,350 |
COMMERCIAL LANDINGS | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
| Blue Crabs | 30,655,095 lbs. | 27,822,224 lbs. | 28,382,047 lbs. | 17,025,160 lbs. |
| Striped Bass | 1,829,352 lbs. | 1,760,113 lbs. | 1,747,499 lbs. | 1,378,132 lbs. |
| Eastern Oysters | 671,372 lbs. | 465,050 lbs. | 657,489 lbs. | 841,751 lbs. |
| Total | 33,155,819 lbs. | 30,047,387 lbs. | 30,787,035 lbs. | 19,245,043 lbs. |
DOCKSIDE VALUE | 2017 | 2018
20192020Blue Crabs |
$48,535,248 |
$45,307,942 |
$48,058,247 |
$33,174,255 |
Striped Bass |
$7,060,881 |
$6,021,992 |
$6,014,945 |
$4,535,955 |
Eastern Oysters |
$10,473,078 |
$6,741,398 |
$9,949,103 |
$9,209,648 |
Total |
$66,069,207 |
$58,071,332 |
$64,022,295 |
$46,919,858 |
|
COMMERCIAL LANDINGS | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
| Blue Crabs | 24,797,479 lbs. | 24,690,009 lbs. | 28,758,709 lbs. | 36,734,433 lbs. |
| Striped Bass | 1,980,942 lbs. | 2,352,749 lbs. | 1,708,439 lbs. | 1,718,135 lbs. |
| Eastern Oysters | 1,404,052 lbs. | 1,196,279 lbs. | 1,190,855 lbs. | 886,953 lbs. |
| Atlantic Surf Clams* | 607,104 lbs. | |||
| Total | 28,789,577 lbs. | 28,239,037 lbs. | 31,658,003 lbs. | 39,339,521 lbs. |
DOCKSIDE VALUE | 2013 | 2014
20152016Blue Crabs |
$50,167,200 |
$52,848,816 |
$52,084,172 |
$54,534,038 |
Striped Bass |
$8,042,530 |
$8,091,937 |
$6,194,121 |
$7,130,594 |
Eastern Oysters |
$13,826,873 |
$15,686,740 |
$15,092,747 |
$12,264,899 |
Atlantic Surf Clams* |
$359,040 |
|
|
| Total |
$72,395,643 |
$76,627,493 |
$73,371,040 |
$73,929,531 |
|
COMMERCIAL LANDINGS | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
| Blue Crabs | 38,800,823 lbs. | 66,261,696 lbs. | 51,162,683 lbs. | 43,741,302 lbs. |
| Striped Bass | 2,812,118 lbs. | 2,509,831 lbs. | 2,343,044 lbs. | 2,285,432 lbs. |
| Eastern Oysters | 497,980 lbs. | 431,857 lbs. | 355,999 lbs. | 618,010 lbs. |
| Atlantic Surf Clams* | 3,012,672 lbs. | 1,905,632 lbs. | ||
| Total | 42,110,921 lbs. | 69,203,384 lbs. | 56,874,398 lbs. | 48,550,376 lbs. |
DOCKSIDE VALUE | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
| Blue Crabs | $52,049,384 | $79,054,851 | $60,325,856 | $60,466,889 |
| Striped Bass | $5,180,242 | $5,424,979 | $5,622,975 | $6,172,364 |
| Eastern Oysters | $3,849,265 | $4,384,916 | $3,690,888 | $5,709,679 |
| Atlantic Surf Clams* | $1,924,384 | $1,365,088 | ||
| Total | $61,078,891 | $88,864,746 | $71,564,103 | $73,714,020 |
COMMERCIAL LANDINGS | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
| Blue Crabs | 34,914,410 lbs. | 29,445,503 lbs. | 30,783,649 lbs. | 34,871,781 lbs. |
| Striped Bass | 2,339,307 lbs. | 2,484,727 lbs. | 2,640,433 lbs. | 2,655,304 lbs. |
| Eastern Oysters | 737,853 lbs. | 273,894 lbs. | 317,076 lbs. | 249,449 lbs. |
| Clams | 6,000,192 lbs. | 7,755,776 lbs. | ||
| Total | 43,991,762 lbs. | 39,959,900 lbs. | 33,741,158 lbs. | 37,776,534 lbs. |
DOCKSIDE VALUE | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
| Blue Crabs | $39,961,167 | $31,140,947 | $41,699,956 | $50,115,293 |
| Striped Bass | $4,234,445 | $4,591,321 | $5,333,386 | $5,231,848 |
| Eastern Oysters | $3,434,963 | $1,237,726 | $3,146,123 | $2,277,057 |
| Clams | 3,984,752 | 4,889,357 | ||
| Total | $51,615,327 | $41,859,351 | $50,179,465 | $57,624,198 |
COMMERCIAL LANDINGS | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 |
| Blue Crabs | 25,933,144 lbs. | 26,480,553 lbs. | 27,816,215 lbs. | 35,627,324 lbs. |
| Striped Bass | 2,049,269 lbs. | 2,085,103 lbs. | 2,193,375 lbs. | 865,603 lbs. |
| Eastern Oysters | 1,274,210 lbs. | 566,990 lbs. | 158,873 lbs. | 42,791 lbs. |
| Clams | 11,697,861 lbs. | 10,338,082 lbs. | 7,448,952 lbs. | 7,270,048 lbs. |
| Total | 40,954,484 lbs. | 39,470,728 lbs. | 37,617,415 lbs. | 43,805,766 lbs. |
DOCKSIDE VALUE | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 |
| Blue Crabs | $34,680,693 | $30,338,384 | $34,532,409 | $41,179,384 |
| Striped Bass | $3,418,363 | $3,759,313 | $3,916,027 | $1,507,564 |
| Eastern Oysters | $3,789,301 | $2,172,418 | $706,256 | $181,003 |
| Clams | 6,989,059 | 6,586,775 | 4,737,336 | 4,653,632 |
| Total | $48,877,416 | $42,856,890 | $43,892,028 | $47,521,583 |
COMMERCIAL LANDINGS | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Blue Crabs | 45,575,161 lbs. | 30,870,447 lbs. | 35,371,030 lbs. | 22,847,019 lbs. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Striped Bass | 2,485,714 lbs. | 2,883,360 lbs. | 2,430,310 lbs. | 2,705,143 lbs. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Oysters | 1,429,409 lbs. | 2,460,954 lbs. | 2,439,995 lbs. | 2,368,236 lbs. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Clams | 5,571,676 lbs. | 6,235,742 lbs. | 6,333,836 lbs. | 6,876,074 lbs. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 55,061,960 lbs. | 42,450,503 lbs. | 46,575,171 lbs. | 34,796,472 lbs. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
DOCKSIDE VALUE | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 |
| Blue Crabs | $43,579,383 | $34,269,494 | $38,858,674 | $30,842,600 |
| Striped Bass | $3,412,371 | $3,716,949 | $3,886,182 | $4,215,711 |
| Eastern Oysters | $4,507,620 | $7,635,153 | $7,111,469 | $7,192,089 |
| Clams | 3,466,155 | 3,533,342 | 3,294,558 | 3,687,762 |
| Total | $54,965,529 | $49,154,938 | $53,150,883 | $45,938,162 |
*Due to reclassification of data collection from 2011 - 2013, statistics reflect only landings for Atlantic Surf clam, the largest landed single species reported by the Office of Science and Technology, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Source, 1997-2000: Fisheries Service [now Fishing & Boating Services], Department of Natural Resources
Source, 2001-: Office of Science & Technology, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
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