Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley announced today that the Chesapeake Bay’s blue crab population has increased substantially for the second straight year. The results of the most recent winter dredge survey show a dramatic 60% increase in Maryland’s crab population. The survey indicates that 2008 management measures put into place through a historic collaboration with Virginia and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission are continuing to pay dividends with the crab population at its highest level since 1997.
Governor O’Malley made the announcement from the Crab Deck at Fisherman’s Inn in Kent Narrows.
“Today, we can see firsthand what progress looks and feels like on the Chesapeake Bay. Today, because of the unprecedented partnership between Maryland and Virginia and tough decisions over the past two years, the Chesapeake Bay blue crab population is estimated to be 658 million crabs — a 60 percent increase over last year and the highest total population estimate since 1997,” said Governor O’Malley. “While we are making progress, our work is not done and we are committed to working with our partners to achieve our ultimate goal of a self-sustaining fishery that will support our industry and recreational fisheries over the long term.”
The population estimate is the result of the 2009-2010 Bay-wide winter dredge survey conducted annually by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS). Last year, the survey estimated 400 million crabs overwintered in the Chesapeake Bay.
In 2008, Maryland, Virginia and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission (PRFC) took strong, coordinated action to reduce harvest pressure on female crabs by 34 percent. At that time, scientists from all three jurisdictions deemed conservation measures necessary as blue crab suffered near historic lows in spawning stock.
“While great strides have been made to rebuild our environmentally and economically important crab population, more work remains to be done with our steadfast Maryland partners,” said Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell. “Two years does not make a trend. The scientific evidence shows our management measures are working but we need to continue along this path in order to ensure the Bay’s crab population returns to robustness and remains at that level.”
The 2008 conservation measures resulted in a large increase in the number of adults in the Bay during the 2009 spawning season, and this year’s survey confirms that success has carried over into a healthy spawn. Crab reproduction this year was the sixth highest in the 21-year survey. The abundance of adult female and male crabs also rose again this year, bringing the estimated number of adult, spawning-age crabs to 315 million, well above the interim target level of 200 million.
In addition, preliminary indications are that the 2009 Bay-wide harvest level was approximately 53.7 million pounds. This harvest equates to approximately 43 percent of the population, which is below the target harvest level of 46 percent. Watermen actually harvested more crabs this past season than in 7 of the past 10 years, confirming the long-held belief that a healthy harvesting industry can coexist with regulations that protect the long term