CHESAPEAKE, Va. — The Virginia Institute of Marine Science and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources have conducted their 2024 Bay-wide Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey and found that the population held strong.
This news comes after four years of population fluctuations according to Maryland.gov.
Managers from Virginia, Maryland, and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission said they were buoyed by these results and intend to sustain current harvest levels this year.
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The annual dredge has been carried out since 1990, utilizing traditional survey methods to sample crabs at 1,500 sites, according to the group.
This year's survey reported an abundance of 317 million crabs, with adult female crabs continuing to surpass average levels for the second consecutive year.
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The Virginia Marine Resources Commission said that the female blue crab population has responded well to the management changes implemented following the 2008 blue crab fishery disaster declaration.
The declaration has reduced the overfishing among female crabs, the commission said.
Experts cautioned that in spite of positive trends, the extent of factors influencing blue crab abundance may not yet be fully understood.
Researchers from Virginia, Maryland, and the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office have begun a comprehensive stock assessment of the blue crab population.
The assessment will consider habitat availability, water temperature, salinity, ocean dynamics, and predator abundance.
