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With Father's Day looming, consumers' appetite for steamed crabs is growing.

But restaurants are paying $50 to $60 more per bushel for crabs than they did at this time last year — and consumers are paying $2 to $15 more per dozen, according to local restaurateurs.

Though locally caught crabs are rarely plentiful this time of year, a scarcity of mature Maryland crabs has been driving up prices for all sources of crabs for Maryland restaurants, say many in the industry.

"This is one of the slimmest springs we've seen in a long time," said Anthony Conrad of Parkville-based Conrad's Crabs & Seafood Market. "The price ... is outrageous for a box of Louisiana male crabs," he said — typically about $250, it's now about $60 higher. The price for a bushel of Maryland crabs is lower — anywhere from $130 to $180 a bushel. But there aren't nearly enough Maryland crabs to supply Maryland restaurants.

Conrad catches some of the crabs he uses for his restaurants and seafood market, and buys others directly from Maryland watermen. He'll rely on Louisiana and Carolina crabs when he has to. He's charging customers $59 a dozen for large crabs.

Read the full story at the Baltimore Sun >>

Read more about Blue crabs >>

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