He said the survey underscored a need to protect adult females in order help ensure better numbers in the future.Male hard crab bushel limits are based on results of the winter crab dredge survey conducted by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and Virginia Institute of Marine Science, and consultation with advisory groups and stakeholders.Ĭrew limits as described in Annotated Code of Maryland, Natural Resources Article, §4-814, are in effect. “The continued low abundance of juveniles and adult males indicates the urgent need for action to protect these segments of the population.” “The results of this year’s survey continue a worrying trend for blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay region,” said Chesapeake Bay Foundation Senior Regional Ecosystem Scientist Chris Moore.

The survey is compiled annually by the Virginia Marine Resources Commission and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.Īdult female and male crab populations both decreased, with males at record lows and the number of juvenile crabs continuing a troubling three-year below average trend. This year’s survey estimated total crab abundance at 227 million, which is the lowest in the survey’s 33-year history, according to a news release. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)(AP/Rebecca Blackwell)The number of blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries is on a downturn, according to the results of the 2022 Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey. Mitchell and other local residents who make their living catching oysters and crab say that rising ocean temperatures have dramatically reduced the amount they can catch, while increasing the difficulty and danger of their work. Thomas Mitchell, a crabber who owns Cedar Grove Seafood, shows off a blue crab from that morning's catch, at his business on St.

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Maryland crab dredge report 2022