The Blue Crab numbers in the Chesapeake fluctuate from year to year based on a wide range of factors, and it is a managed fishery, so it really depends on the limits set by Fish & Game on how much native crabs turn up in the restaurants.
They make their decisions based off of how cold the previous winter was, salinity of the bay that varies each year, conditions of swamp grasses, and a long list of variables.
Besides, I can’t tell the difference in taste from a Gulf crab, a Chesapeake crab, or one from Thailand.
BTW,
Phillips is a chain restaurant, you might as well go to a Red Lobster or a Long John Silver’s if you are going to eat there.
The little mom & pop operations, and the locally owned joints are more indicative of Maryland seafood in how it is prepared, and they tend to purchase from local sources when available, it’s seasonal.
In the winter, every place in the region will be serving Gulf crabs or Thai crabs bought from the big seafood distributor in Jessup, MD.