Maryland Has Crabs

But not as many as hoped. At the Balmer Banner, Chesapeake Bay blue crab numbers send ‘red flags flying’ as population hits near-record low

The estimated population number for the iconic Chesapeake Bay blue crab has fallen compared to last year, causing concern among state officials and alarm among advocates.

The latest winter dredge survey estimates 238 million crabs in the Bay — the second-lowest count since the survey began in 1990.

It’s a sharp drop from last year’s 317 million and far below what scientists want to see. The lowest record was in 2022, when the estimated population fell to 226 million.

Maryland officials say cold snaps over the winter probably drove up crab mortality.

Well, damn that global warming. 

The blue crab population has been below-average since before 2020. Experts are conducting a large-scale stock assessment to better understand the decline.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation called the results of the dredge survey “distressing.” “The red flags are flying for blue crabs,” said foundation Maryland Executive Director Allison Colden in a statement. “With more than five years of below-average crab numbers, it is clear that changing conditions in the Bay are undermining the current management of this important species.”

 

Researchers are in the middle of large-scale blue crab stock assessment to evaluate and understand factors that influence the crustacean’s survival and reproduction in the Chesapeake Bay.

The ongoing assessment is the first since 2011. There are an estimated 103 million juvenile crabs this year, compared to 138 million last year. State officials said they hope it will help scientists understand why the number of juvenile crabs has been so low for consecutive years.

Shockingly, the article didn't go on to blame, as articles often do, climate change, Snakeheads or Blue Catfish. Climate climate change is rather easy to dismiss, as Blue Crabs thrive up and down the eastern seaboard, over a fairly wide range of climate,  Chesapeake Bay is right in the center. As for the two invasives, Snakeheads tend to live up in the shallow freshwater marshes, and likely don't encounter large numbers of small crabs. Blue Cats also prefer fresher water, albeit, a bit deeper, and while I don't doubt they encounter (and eat) crabs, to a large extent their preferences don't overlap much.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Country Girl in Carhartts up on time and under budget.