Marylanders are celebrating National Crab Meat Day as they gear up for crab season

BALTIMORE — March 9th is National Crab Meat Day!  Marylanders love crabs, so they are embracing the special occasion.

Rad Reter, the owner of Reter's Crab House, said he had no idea that every day could be a crab and crab meat day, especially since March 9th is officially National Crab Meat Day. 

Although the official start of crab season approaches on April 1, it's a great excuse to enjoy some crabs, regardless of the temperature or calendar date.

"Doesn't matter the temperature. Doesn't matter the calendar day. Let's have some crabs," Reter said. 

"Someone decided to make it a national holiday and as Marylanders, we love crabs, so we are just going to embrace it," Leslie Troy, communications manager for the Maryland office of tourism, said. 

Reter's Crab House and Grille is just one of the hundreds of restaurants on the Maryland Crab and Oyster Trail. 

Restaurants on the trail sell hard-shell crabs, soft-shell crabs, and local oysters. Although March 9th is all about crab meat, at Reter's, Thursday night is burger night, with crab meat as an optional addition.