Blue Crab Dredge Survey indicates a stable population

HAMPTON, VA. – The latest findings from the 2024 Bay-wide Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey indicate that the Chesapeake Bay blue crab population remains stable. Managers from Virginia, Maryland and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission are pleased with these results and plan to maintain current harvest levels while eagerly awaiting the upcoming benchmark stock assessment. Conducted annually since 1990 by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the Winter Dredge Survey uses traditional crab pots to sample blue crabs at 1,500 locations in the Chesapeake Bay from December through March. The survey recorded a total estimated blue crab abundance of 317 million crabs in winter 2024, with adult female crabs continuing to exceed average levels for the second consecutive year.

Scientists and managers have long emphasized the importance of closely monitoring and managing the adult female population, as they play a crucial role in dispersing the annual cohort of new crabs. The female blue crab population has responded well to management changes implemented following the 2008 Blue Crab Fishery Disaster Declaration, and the absence of overfishing among female crabs in 2024 marks a continued positive trend.

Jamie Green, Commissioner of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC), underscored the importance of Virginia’s permit-specific bushel limits for blue crab management: “One of the most influential management actions that have contributed to the long-term success of the blue crab fishery crab Management consisted of the license-specific bushel limits that Virginia implemented in 2013. This gives Virginia the flexibility to reduce regulatory burdens that would benefit the industry economically, while preserving the long-term goals of the Chesapeake Bay’s joint jurisdictions.

Despite the limitations imposed by harvest management efforts, the Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee (CBSAC) has warned that additional factors affecting blue crab abundance may not yet be fully understood. Recognizing this, a concerted effort is underway, supported by Virginia, Maryland and the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office, to conduct a comprehensive inventory assessment over the next two to three years. The assessment will take into account several factors such as habitat availability, water temperature and salinity, ocean dynamics and predator abundance, the results of which are expected to inform future management strategies.

CBSAC recently met to review the results of the 2023-24 Winter Dredge Survey, which will be detailed in the upcoming CBSAC Annual Report to be released in June. In Virginia, stakeholders can learn more about the study results at the Virginia Marine Resources Commission’s Crab Management Advisory Committee on May 29 at 4 p.m. Additional information about public meetings can be found at MRC.Virginia.gov.