CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — The heat makes it’s hard to remember just how cold our winter was. But there’s a constant reminder for Virginia’s watermen that’s affecting their wallets, too.

Blue crabs are big business along the Chesapeake Bay during the summer months. They’re a Virginia tradition — steamed, deviled, or battered up and fried, blue crabs are in high demand for miles around. But this year, they’re in short supply.

Watermen, like Ray Wicker who owns Wicker’s Crab Pot Seafood in Chesapeake, say they aren’t seeing the bounty of blue crabs that they’re used to.

“We specialize in blue crabs and soft shell crabs,” Wicker said. “We normally have a good run of female crabs that we catch over in Ocean View and in the Willoughby area. This year the water temperature was cold and we lost a month of crabbing.”

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