Bad news for Ches Bay blue crabs

On left, text; on right, two waterman on a boat working

The Potomac River Fisheries Commission has announced the results of the 2022 Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey and the news is not good. The survey found that the overall total abundance (males and females combined) is the lowest in the 33-year time series of the survey. Learn more on Facebook, in the Virginia release (PDF), from Chesapeake Bay blue crabs hit population low in The Bay Journal, and Md. Blue Crab Count Falls to Lowest Total Ever Recorded in Chesapeake Bay on Maryland Matters.

Several meetings will consider the results and discuss responses:

  • VMRC's Crab Management Advisory Committee is meeting Monday, May 23 at 4:00 pm (380 Fenwick Rd, Fort Monroe in the VMRC Commission Room); see the agenda (PDF) and member list.
  • The results and data on the 2021 blue crab fishery will also be presented at the commission's regular monthly meeting Tuesday, May 24 at the VMRC main office.
  • The PRFC Blue Crab Advisory Committee (BCAC) will meet May 25 to discuss the survey results and possible management responses. Contact Martin Gary for more information.
  • The Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee (CBSAC) will hold a working meeting the week of May 23. The CBSAC is "an advisory group under the Chesapeake Bay Program's Sustainable Fisheries Goal Implementation Team (Fish GIT) which brings together state managers and technical experts to address blue crab issues. . ." (Source: Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee) The results of the working meeting will be published in the June annual report; CBSAC will provide science-based recommendations for management.
  • The full PRFC will discuss the results and possible management responses at its June 9 meeting.
  • Chesapeake Bay Program’s Sustainable Fisheries Goal Implementation Team (Fish GIT) and CBSAC are planning a blue crab science workshop in September. The purpose is "to identify which environmental factors are likely driving the low abundances and evaluate the need for a new blue crab benchmark stock assessment." (Source: VMRC release, A Lean Year for Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs ~Bay Managers Concerned About Juvenile Recruitment~ )