![]() Because the catch limits put in place in 2022 resulted in larger operations losing a greater percentage of their allowable catch, Virginia Marine Resources Commission staff recommended the new limits be adjusted to increase the amount of crabs they can catch. In Virginia, crab harvesting limits are set based on the size of the catching operation. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources announced the results of the 2021 Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey, a cooperative effort with the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, which annually. However, the juvenile numbers still remained among the six lowest recorded in the 34 years of the Winter Dredge Survey. Wildlife will issue a non-commercial crab dredge license for the harvest of not more than one bushel of crabs per day during the crab dredge season. Improvements were seen across the board among adult males and females, as well as among juveniles. The newest proposals follow the results of the 2023 Bay-wide Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey, which found that the number of blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay increased from 227 million in 2022 to 323 million in 2023. ![]() ![]() The 2021 results showed that the spawning age female numbers increased from 141 million in 2020 to 158 million. A state committee on crab management is recommending increases to crab catch limits this fall and next spring but keeping in place the summer reductions instituted last year after surveys found the population had plummeted. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced the results of the 2021 Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey, which annually estimates the number of blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay. ![]()
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