Maryland’s commercial blue crab record shows substantial change in both landings and estimated dockside value from 2000 through 2024. The annual series below covers Maryland commercial harvest in millions of pounds and estimated dockside value in millions of dollars. The source identifies the value figures as estimates, and the historical research has not been independently verified here.
Table of contents
- The Maryland crab series at a glance
- Early-2000s harvest and value
- The 2008–2012 high-harvest period
- Harvest and value from 2013 to 2019
- The 2020–2024 record
- How harvest and dockside value compare
The Maryland crab series at a glance
The [MDDNR Commercial Blue Crab Landings 2020–2024 PDF](MDDNR Commercial Blue Crab Landings 2020-2024 PDF) is identified as the source for every figure in this historical series. It reports commercial blue crab harvest by calendar year and pairs each harvest figure with an estimated dockside value. Harvest is measured in millions of pounds; value is measured in millions of dollars.
The series begins with 21.66 million pounds harvested in 2000 and an estimated dockside value of $30.08 million. It then records 24.55 million pounds and $33.65 million in 2001, followed by 25.01 million pounds and $29.45 million in 2002. The first four years therefore include both rising harvest figures and a lower estimated value in 2002 than in 2001.
The largest annual harvest listed in the supplied record is 59.88 million pounds in 2010. The largest estimated dockside value is $68.96 million, also in 2010. At the other end of the series, 2022 records 22.87 million pounds and an estimated $48.91 million, while 2021 records 22.89 million pounds and $57.46 million. These are separate measures: the harvest figure describes pounds landed, while the dockside figure is an estimated dollar value.
Early-2000s harvest and value
Maryland’s commercial blue crab harvest increased through the first half of the 2000s before falling from the 2004 level. The annual figures were:
| Year | Commercial harvest | Estimated dockside value |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 21.66 million lb | $30.08 million |
| 2001 | 24.55 million lb | $33.65 million |
| 2002 | 25.01 million lb | $29.45 million |
| 2003 | 26.43 million lb | $33.73 million |
| 2004 | 33.77 million lb | $40.34 million |
| 2005 | 32.06 million lb | $38.15 million |
| 2006 | 29.02 million lb | $31.48 million |
| 2007 | 25.84 million lb | $37.14 million |
In 2003, the record lists 26.43 million pounds and an estimated dockside value of $33.73 million. Harvest rose to 33.77 million pounds in 2004, when the estimated value was $40.34 million. The next year, harvest was 32.06 million pounds and estimated value was $38.15 million.
The 2006 entry shows 29.02 million pounds and $31.48 million. In 2007, the listed harvest was 25.84 million pounds, while estimated dockside value was $37.14 million. The paired figures make clear why harvest and value should be read separately in this dataset: a lower annual poundage can appear alongside a higher estimated value than an earlier year.
The 2008–2012 high-harvest period
The five-year span from 2008 through 2012 contains the strongest harvest figures in the supplied series. Harvest reached 43.57 million pounds in 2008, with estimated dockside value of $61.78 million. In 2009, the record lists 42.79 million pounds and $58.42 million.
The 2010 entry is the high point of the series for both reported measures: 59.88 million pounds of commercial blue crab harvest and an estimated dockside value of $68.96 million. The following two years remained above the harvest levels recorded in 2008 and 2009 but were lower than 2010.
| Year | Commercial harvest | Estimated dockside value |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 43.57 million lb | $61.78 million |
| 2009 | 42.79 million lb | $58.42 million |
| 2010 | 59.88 million lb | $68.96 million |
| 2011 | 50.24 million lb | $58.93 million |
| 2012 | 41.74 million lb | $56.63 million |
In 2011, commercial harvest was 50.24 million pounds and estimated dockside value was $58.93 million. In 2012, the corresponding figures were 41.74 million pounds and $56.63 million. The source labels all five dockside figures as estimates, so they should not be treated as audited revenue totals or as a different measurement of pounds harvested.
Harvest and value from 2013 to 2019
After the 2010 peak, the listed harvest figures were lower in every year from 2013 through 2019 than in 2012. The 2013 record shows 25.56 million pounds and an estimated dockside value of $51.73 million. In 2014, harvest was 25.82 million pounds and estimated value was $52.63 million.
Harvest then rose to 33.11 million pounds in 2015, paired with an estimated $58.88 million dockside value. The 2016 entry lists 38.24 million pounds and $57.53 million. In 2017, the figures were 33.43 million pounds and $53.21 million.
The final two years of this period were 34.15 million pounds and $55.08 million in 2018, followed by 33.69 million pounds and $55.92 million in 2019. The year-by-year record is:
| Year | Commercial harvest | Estimated dockside value |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 25.56 million lb | $51.73 million |
| 2014 | 25.82 million lb | $52.63 million |
| 2015 | 33.11 million lb | $58.88 million |
| 2016 | 38.24 million lb | $57.53 million |
| 2017 | 33.43 million lb | $53.21 million |
| 2018 | 34.15 million lb | $55.08 million |
| 2019 | 33.69 million lb | $55.92 million |
These entries show several different annual pairings. For example, the 2013 harvest was 25.56 million pounds, while the 2016 harvest was 38.24 million pounds. Their estimated dockside values were $51.73 million and $57.53 million, respectively. The source supplies the values as annual estimates and does not establish a separate explanation for each change.
The 2020–2024 record
The most recent five entries in the supplied series begin with 28.72 million pounds in 2020 and an estimated dockside value of $57.01 million. In 2021, Maryland commercial blue crab harvest was 22.89 million pounds, with estimated value of $57.46 million.
Harvest was 22.87 million pounds in 2022, the lowest annual harvest figure in the 2020–2024 portion of the record. The estimated dockside value for that year was $48.91 million. The 2023 entry shows 24.23 million pounds and $52.95 million, while 2024 shows 25.18 million pounds and $48.67 million.
| Year | Commercial harvest | Estimated dockside value |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 28.72 million lb | $57.01 million |
| 2021 | 22.89 million lb | $57.46 million |
| 2022 | 22.87 million lb | $48.91 million |
| 2023 | 24.23 million lb | $52.95 million |
| 2024 | 25.18 million lb | $48.67 million |
The final two years illustrate the need to keep the measures distinct. The listed harvest increased from 24.23 million pounds in 2023 to 25.18 million pounds in 2024, while estimated dockside value moved from $52.95 million to $48.67 million. Those figures describe the annual entries as reported by the source; they do not by themselves establish why the two measures moved differently.
How harvest and dockside value compare
Maryland crab statistics are easiest to interpret when each year is read as a two-part record. Commercial harvest is a physical quantity in pounds. Estimated dockside value is a monetary estimate in dollars. The dataset does not present the dockside figures as forecasts, and it does not provide additional context for interpreting changes in either measure.
The early series includes 21.66 million pounds and $30.08 million in 2000, 33.77 million pounds and $40.34 million in 2004, and 25.84 million pounds and $37.14 million in 2007. The middle period includes the 2010 high of 59.88 million pounds and $68.96 million. Later entries include 33.69 million pounds and $55.92 million in 2019, 28.72 million pounds and $57.01 million in 2020, and 25.18 million pounds and $48.67 million in 2024.
For readers comparing years, the safest approach is to keep the unit beside every number and retain the calendar year. A statement about harvest should use pounds; a statement about dockside value should use dollars and the word “estimated.” The source label for the complete series is the MDDNR Commercial Blue Crab Landings 2020–2024 PDF. Because the historical research is marked as not independently verified, these figures are best presented as a documented series from that source rather than as independently confirmed measurements.