BALTIMORE (AP) _ Crab season in Maryland is off to a slow start leaving some restaurants still waiting for their local supply.

Low crab populations in the Chesapeake Bay means some restaurants have not yet added crab to their menus, while others are shipping crabs in from out of state, causing the prices to surge.

The cost increase is straining local businesses.

Sam Molloy, co-owner of Captain Dick’s Crabs Galore in Baltimore County told the Baltimore Sun (http://bsun.md/1MOtqIs ) that the cost of a bushel of Louisiana crabs has gone up $100 from 2012, and is putting a financial strain on her family-owned business.

Crab populations in Maryland are up this year, but still sluggish compared to pre-2013 levels.

Watermen say they hope more crabs will move into the bay later this summer.