Davis v. State

This appeal calls upon us to determine whether Maryland statutes imposing limitations on the possession of certain kinds and sizes of crabs are unconstitutional as affronting the Commerce Clause of the Federal Constitution.

I

Callinectes sapidus Rathbun1 is a species of blue crab which inhabits the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. It is usually known as a “hard crab” because of the hard shell in which it is encased most of its life.2 It grows by moulting or shedding this shell, and during the various stages of the moulting process it is referred to by other names. For a brief period after…