Crabs

Nothing symbolizes Maryland better than the blue crab.  Loved by most Marylanders, it is claimed that we eat more crabs than hamburgers and hot dogs combined!

However, our beloved crabs are in serious trouble.

As recently as the early 1990s, crabs were thriving in the Chesapeake Bay.  In 1993, watermen pulled a record harvest of 347 million crabs from the Bay.  While the number of crab pots in use increased ten-fold between 1948 and the late 1980s, it nonetheless appeared that the Bay’s last remaining major fishery was healthy.

However, there has been a severe drop-off in harvests since then.  In 2007, watermen caught only 132 million crabs.  And what makes this number even scarier is that it is estimated that 55% of all the crabs in the Chesapeake Bay were caught last year.   Since scientists recommend that no more than 46% of crabs be harvested each year in order to have sufficient breeding stock to sustain the population, it is clear that over-harvesting is contributing to the declining number of crabs.

What Is Killing the Crabs?

Crabs are dealing with multiple threats.  When algae blooms die and rot, dead zones are created that kill bottom-dwelling marine life such as clams and worms.  These, along with the almost-decimated oyster population, are the primary food sources for crabs.

Without food, crabs are increasingly turning to eating one another, thus further reducing their population.

In addition, crabs are extremely vulnerable to predators every time they molt, a process they may undergo two dozen times in their lifetimes.  As the underwater grasses disappear, crabs are losing their hiding places.

Finally, as dead zones proliferate, crabs are forced into the shallower waters near shore, where they are far more vulnerable to being caught.

What is Being Done?

Both Maryland and Virginia have taken important actions in the last year to save the crab population.  Both Maryland and Virginia have banned the recreational catching of female crabs at any time and the commercial harvesting of female crabs between October and April.  In addition, the tradition of dredging female crabs in the southern Bay during the winter has also been stopped.

It is going to take more than partial harvesting bans, however, for blue crabs to again thrive in the Bay.  We must reduce incoming pollutants so dead zones are eliminated and underwater grasses expand.