Blue Crab Stock Remains within Healthy Range
Published:20 Jul.2020 Source:Virginia Institute of Marine Science
Results from the latest Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey—conducted annually by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and Maryland Department of Natural Resources—show the Chesapeake Bay’s blue crab stock remains resilient and within healthy ranges.
While abundance did decline in most aspects in 2020, it remains within the normal, healthy range. The combined abundance of all ages of blue crabs declined by a third, from 594 million crabs in 2019 to 404 million crabs in 2020. This change was largely driven by a 43% decrease in the recruitment of juveniles. While 2019 saw a year of excellent recruitment with 324 million new crabs, 2020 saw only 185 million juveniles added to the population.