HAMPTON, Va. — In a 4-1 vote, the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) reversed the decision to lift the ban on blue crab dredging this winter.
The ban was originally lifted back in June in efforts to see if the crab stocks would still hold strong after being reintroduced.
Upon the ban being lifted, members of the foundation expressed concerns about the dredging and what it would do to the crab's population.
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"The winter dredge fishery primarily harvests female blue crabs, whose numbers declined by nearly 20 million in the recent annual estimate of blue crab numbers in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries," said the foundation. "This reduction in the estimated population was the focus of much of the opposition."
A study from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and Virginia Institute of Marine Science showed female blue crab numbers dropped nearly 20 million from last year, and currently sit at 133 million.
215 million adult female crabs are needed for a healthy population and sustainable harvest says the CBF.
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“VMRC’s decision is a significant step toward a brighter future for the Bay’s blue crab population and helps ensure we have the best available science when making important decisions about Virginia’s blue crab fishery. This decision allows the scientific stock assessment of the many factors affecting the blue crab population to proceed without significant changes occurring in the fishery at the same time, paving the way for sound evidence-based management decisions of this essential species in the future. We applaud this vote.”
The reversal of July's decision keeps in place a 16-year ban on harvesting the winter blue crab, dating all the way back 2008.
