The blue crab population is naturally quite variable they are not expected to stay the same from year to year. While juvenile abundance-the number of young crabs that will enter the fishery this year-increased slightly, the number was still the second lowest in Winter Dredge Survey history. The number of blue crabs-227 million-is the lowest recorded since the Winter Dredge Survey started 33 years ago. This year’s Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey, which is conducted annually by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, brought bad news: The Chesapeake Bay’s blue crab population dropped for the third year in a row. The Blue Crab Advisory Report builds on data collected in the Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey, including information from the previous year’s harvest, and adds expert scientific analysis by members of the Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee. The 2022 Blue Crab Advisory Report includes analysis of the data about the Chesapeake’s blue crab population, as well as recommendations for the jurisdictions that manage blue crabs to consider as they evaluate future regulations. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)Įvery year, the Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee-a working group of the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Sustainable Fisheries Goal Implementation Team-releases a Blue Crab Advisory Report. A blue crab is weighed by staff from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources during a section of the winter dredge survey in the Honga River on March 9, 2020.

Maryland crab dredge report 2022