Crab Survey Shows Mixed Results

Maryland's Department of Natural Resources reported good news and bad news Friday about the Chesapeake Bay's blue crab population.

In a press release issued Friday, department officials said 2013's winter dredge survey found the spawning-age female population has reached 147 million—a 52 percent increase over last year and twice the lowest possible healthy threshold.

However, the study also found that the total abundance of crabs plummeted from 765 million to 300 million, as did the number of juvenile crabs in the bay, signaling what officials believe to be high mortality in last year's class of crabs.

“The results of this year’s winter dredge survey are by no means ideal, however, our strong management framework includes a buffer that allows the population to fluctuate within a safe threshold,” DNR Secretary John Griffin said in the release. “In fact, the conservation measures we first put into place in 2008 were designed to allow for the naturally occurring fluctuations crabs are known for and ensure a sustainable seafood industry.”

The Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee will have a report on the bay's blue crab population completed in the next few weeks, according to the release.

In response to the study, state DNR officials are working with Virginia officials and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission to reduce harvest of females by 25 percent

“The Bay’s blue crab population varies naturally,” DNR Fisheries Service Director Tom O’Connell said in the release. “Weather conditions, an increase in predators, or other natural occurrences can affect the crab stock. Our management system is also dynamic, and we will be working with the industry over the coming weeks to determine the best strategy to implement within our existing female crab management framework to achieve this reduction in 2013.”

Maryland and Virginia officials have dredged the bay to survey crab populations since 1990, according to the release, sampling crabs at 1,500 sites from each December to March.