Crab Season Open

At the Southern Maryland Chronic, more than you need to know: Get Ready: Blue Crab Season Hits Maryland April 1

The Chesapeake Bay blue crab season officially opens on April 1, 2025, ushering in a beloved Maryland tradition that runs through December 15. For recreational crabbers, this marks the start of prime time to harvest the iconic “beautiful swimmer,” Callinectes sapidus, known for its sweet meat and vibrant blue claws. With the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) overseeing regulations, the 2025 season brings updated rules, time-honored crabbing tricks, and some of the best early-spring hotspots across the state.

The Chesapeake Bay, the heart of Maryland’s blue crab fishery, supports over 50% of the U.S. harvest, making it a cultural and economic cornerstone. After a record low of 227 million crabs in 2022, the 2023 winter dredge survey showed a modest rebound to 323 million, though juvenile numbers remain below average. This has prompted careful management to ensure sustainability, blending science-based limits with the traditions of watermen and recreational enthusiasts alike.

 

2025 Recreational Crabbing Regulations

The Maryland DNR sets strict guidelines for non-commercial crabbers to protect the blue crab population and other species, like the diamondback terrapin. Here’s what you need to know for 2025:

• Season Dates and Times: April 1 to December 15 in the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries. From April 1 to December 15, crabbing with gear like trotlines or crab pots is allowed from one half hour after sunrise to sunset (April, October-December) or one half hour before sunrise to sunset (May-September). Handlines and dip nets can be used 24 hours a day. Wednesday crabbing is prohibited, except when a state or federal holiday falls on a Wednesday or Thursday.
• Size Limits: Hard male crabs must measure 5 inches across the carapace from April 1 to July 14, increasing to 5¼ inches from July 15 to December 15. Male peelers require 3¼ inches (April 1-July 14) or 3½ inches (July 15-December 15), while soft crabs need 3½ inches year-round. It’s illegal to keep egg-bearing (sponge) crabs or female hard/peeler crabs.
• Catch Limits: Unlicensed individuals can take one bushel of male hard crabs daily or two bushels per boat with two or more people. Licensed crabbers face gear-specific limits (e.g., 10 pots yield one bushel).
• Gear Rules: Handlines, dip nets, trotlines, and collapsible traps are permitted, but crab pots require annual registration and must feature two cull rings and a turtle reduction device (TRD)—a rectangular wire or plastic piece (1¾ inches high by 4¾ inches long) at each funnel entrance to prevent terrapin bycatch. Traps that auto-close, like the “Crab Alert,” are illegal. Gear must be marked with the owner’s DNRid or name and address and kept 100 feet from others’ setups.
• Licensing: No license is needed for handlines or dip nets. A recreational crabbing license ($5-$15) is required for trotlines, net rings, or more than two pots. Waterfront property owners can register up to two pots license-free.
• Prohibitions: Selling crabs, harvesting while SCUBA diving, or tampering with others’ gear is banned. Fines for violations, like missing TRDs, can reach $1,000.

The Natural Resources Police (NRP) will ramp up enforcement in 2025, following a 13.6% increase in citations from 2022 to 2023. Compliance with TRDs remains critical, with past checks showing rates as low as 53%.

 Time for the Bay to start filling up with crab pots. I like to eat crabs, but fishing is more fun.