Winter Dredge of Chesapeake Bay Shows Big Increase in Harvestable Blue Crabs

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The results of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources annual winter dredge of the Chesapeake Bay is good news for crab lovers and watermen.

It indicates a crab population of 553 million, a 35 percent increase over last year and the fourth highest level in two decades, according to DNR.

The spawning female stock nearly doubled, from 101 to 194 million, and the adult male stock more than doubled from 44 to 91 million.

"Due to a milder winter, favorable currents and tides, and wise bay-wide management measures, the Maryland crab population continues to rebound and strengthen," Fisheries Service Director Dave Blazer said.

"With an increase in abundance and steady recruitment, we fully anticipate a robust crab season this year."

The favorable report follows in last year's footsteps, which showed a 38 percent boost in abundance of blue crabs over the prior year.

As part of the annual winter dredge survey, conducted by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and Virginia Institute of Marine Science since 1990, biologists capture, measure, record and release blue crabs at 1,500 sites throughout the bay from December through March.

It is the primary assessment of the Chesapeake Bay's blue crab population and it is done in winter because that is when blue crabs tend to bury themselves in the mud for the season.

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