Maryland, Virginia Fight Over Crabs

Dredging for Blue Crabs

Balmer Sun, Maryland denounces Virginia decision on winter crab fishery: ‘A bad day if you care about blue crabs’

Maryland officials and environmentalists are railing against a Virginia decision that could reopen a long-closed segment of that state’s blue crab fishery.

The Virginia Marine Resources Commission voted 5-4 on Tuesday to repeal a prohibition on a winter dredge fishery for blue crabs, a ban that’s been in place for about 15 years. As a result, staff members at the commission will explore reestablishing a winter fishery for the species.

Historically, the winter season allowed watermen at the mouth of the Chesapeake to dredge the bay bottom, scooping up semi-dormant crabs buried beneath the mud for warmth during the coldest months of the year. The practice was halted in the 2000s as the crab population faltered.

In a statement, Maryland Department of Natural Resources Secretary Josh Kurtz said Virginia’s decision was ill-advised and poorly timed.

 

“A decision of this magnitude should have only been made with the support of scientists, in close consultation with Maryland officials, and in response to a significant increase in the blue crab population,” Kurtz wrote.

The latest blue crab survey from this winter found blue crab abundance held fairly steady in the Chesapeake Bay relative to 2023, but that the number was still below average. Continued low numbers of juvenile crabs have prompted concern, and the number of female crabs in the bay this winter (estimated at 133 million) was below a target of 196 million crabs.

Staff members of the Virginia commission recommended against reopening the winter season. In a presentation, they highlighted that during the 1998-1999 winter dredge harvest in Virginia, harvesters removed about 32% of the total female crabs estimated to be in the bay when the season began. About 96% of the crabs caught during that winter season were female.

I really don't understand with VMRC allowed themselves to be bullied into restarting the dredge fishery, when it appears the crab fishery is barely scrapping by.

Source: VIMS Dredge Survey