Up until the 1960s they could be eaten .
The State of New York currently recommends against attempting to do so on a regular basis , due to bioaccumulation of PCBs and cadmium that were discovered in the crabs in the 1970s .
Up until the 1960s they could be eaten , but the State of New York currently recommends against attempting to do so on a regular basis , due to bioaccumulation of PCBs and cadmium that were discovered in the crabs in the 1970s .