Blue crabs are very versatile with their movements and their senses, which often makes them incredibly hard to catch. With that being said, crabbers over the years have adapted to their enhanced movement and senses to catch them with ease and in bulk. The two most common trapping techniques for crabs used in Maryland are the trotline and crab pots. The two techniques are very different, but are effective in catching blue crabs.
The crab pot (left image) is a stationary cage trap that sits on the bottom of the river/bay with small holes on sides of the walls. The crabs will climb through the hole, into the trap to eat the bait, but are unable to escape due to the design of the hole. Another popular crab pot variant is one with strings attached to the walls, which causes them to fall when in the water, and fold up if pulling on the strings, catching the crab. The trotline (right image) on the other hand, is a long string of rope, with several tied on pieces of bait that rests on the river floor. The line is then attached to the boat, and the boat will drive along the line, surfacing any crabs feasting on the bait, where then the crabber will scoop them out of the water. These techniques are made to make catching crabs much quieter and fast, hindering their senses.
