"Poseidon Must Be Crabby"

Marylanders love their crabs. These beautiful blue crabs are everywhere: on buildings, flags, towels, books, artwork, and, yes, even dinner plates between two buns! As food, they’re served with Old Bay in crab cakes, crab bisque, crab rolls, and the list goes on and on. These sideways-walking, bug-eyed crustaceans are as much at the heart of Maryland as the Chesapeake Bay itself.

What people may not always realize while enjoying all that crabby art and food is that the Bay is a fragile home to these critters. Their population is greatly affected by the pollution produced by those of us who live throughout the Bay’s watershed. Sadly, litter and pollutants that wash into upstream creeks and rivers can ultimately find their way into the Chesapeake Bay—including pollution from our own backyards! It’s all connected.

I created Crabs Toil Deep in the Bay to address the problem of upstream litter, so the scene could be painted on a storm drain by teenagers from a Silver Spring, Maryland, community. In addition to our beloved Maryland blue crabs, the painting features Poseidon, the iconic, muscle-bound, long-haired Greek god of the sea, along with his trident—the weapon he uses to manipulate and control water.

After all, who better than the Greek god of the sea to help the crabs wage war against litter?!

Poseidon and the crabs are flexing their muscles, working hard to clean up the Bay’s floor so that underwater grasses can grow and the crab population can thrive.

The painting also includes one of the most important habitats for female and juvenile crabs: underwater grasses! And if you know anything about Poseidon, you know you don’t want to mess with his women or children! 😉

Five kinds of underwater grasses found in the Bay appear in the painting: eelgrass, widgeon grass, water stargrass, hydrilla, and wild celery.

Are you ready to continue geeking out? Okay, here it goes….

These underwater grasses are also known as SAV, or submerged aquatic vegetation. They help improve water quality and reduce erosion. They trap loose sediment, absorb excess nutrients and pollutants, and add dissolved oxygen to the water—something underwater creatures need to survive.

When the grasses become covered by litter, sediment, or pollution, sunlight is blocked, stunting their growth. This reduces their ability to shelter juvenile crabs and provide the food and habitat the young crabs need to grow those lovely blue claws.

After several years of troubling numbers, the Bay’s estimated blue-crab population increased in 2026. However, the number of adult females declined and remains well below the management target, so the long-term health of the population is still a concern.

Stormwater runoff flows into drains from yards, farms, parking lots, sidewalks, and streets. As it travels, the water picks up litter such as plastic bottles and bags, food wrappers, cigarette butts, metal cans, and Styrofoam—all of which can be seen in the painting. Other pollutants, including fertilizers, pet waste, and chemical contaminants, can also find their way down these drains and eventually into the Bay.

Pet peeve—no pun intended! That means pet owners not only have to scoop the doggie poop, but also throw it in the trash!

Seriously, I don’t think any of us would want to bathe in the pollutants that our beloved blue crabs have to swim in and call home. We can all do our part to help Poseidon and the crabs toil in the Bay. Please recycle, reuse, repurpose—and please don’t litter!

Not only will our actions help support a larger, healthier crab population, but they will also make our whole world a cleaner place. Join me in my mission to leave a better planet for our children and grandchildren.

Here’s to our health—and to the health of our incredible blue crabs!