Blue Crab Management
Manage for a stable and productive crab fishery including working with the industry, recreational crabbers and other stakeholders to improve commercial and recreational harvest accountability. By 2018, evaluate the establishment of a Bay-wide, allocation-based management framework with annual levels set by the jurisdictions for the purpose of accounting for and adjusting harvest by each jurisdiction.
Progress
In November of 2017, Maryland, Virginia and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission (PRFC) informed the Chesapeake Bay Program of their decision to maintain the existing blue crab management framework rather than establish a new, allocation-based framework for the Chesapeake Bay’s commercial and recreational blue crab fisheries. This decision was based on constituent feedback and management agency perspectives, and marks the completion of this outcome. Maryland, Virginia and the PRFC will continue to operate under a management framework that uses female-specific reference points to indicate the sustainability of the blue crab stock. Where female blue crab harvest levels and adult female blue crab abundance fall in relation to these reference points will inform blue crab management decisions.
In November 2020, the three jurisdictions (Maryland, Virginia and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission) formally adopted new female-specific reference points generated by the 2017 blue crab stock assessment update, which included more recent survey and harvest data. This was an update to the previous reference points that had been recommended in 2011 and implemented in 2012. As a result of this update, the target female exploitation rate, or percentage of female crabs removed by harvest, increased from 25.5% to 28%, and the threshold increased from 34% to 37%. According to the Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee (CBSAC), an estimated 19% of the female blue crab population was harvested in 2020. This is below both the target (now 28%) and overfishing threshold (now 37%) for the 13th consecutive year since female-specific management measures were implemented in 2008, which suggests that management has been effective. The Chesapeake Bay’s blue crab stock is not depleted and it is not being overfished.
Female Blue Crab Harvest (1990-2020)
The percentage of female blue crabs harvested increased from 17% to 19% from 2019 to 2020. This change is reflective of the variation typically seen in blue crab harvest from year to year.
In its 2021 Blue Crab Advisory Report, CBSAC—which includes federal fisheries experts, as well as scientists and representatives from state agencies and academic institutions—determined that substantial changes in management are not necessary. Over the long term, this workgroup of the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Sustainable Fisheries Goal Implementation Team (GIT) recommends Maryland, Virginia and the PRFC put procedures in place to provide accurate accountability for all commercial and recreational harvests, as this is an important component of assessing the blue crab stock.
Maryland, Virginia and the PRFC have regulations in place that can be used to respond to changes in the blue crab stock. In 2014, the three blue crab management jurisdictions responded to a depleted blue crab stock by putting additional harvest restrictions in place, largely through lower bushel limits. Maryland increased these bushel limits in 2015, 2016, and for one week in 2020. All three jurisdictions extended the crab pot season in 2016 and Virginia extended their crab pot season in 2020. In 2017, Maryland and Virginia announced lower bushel limits and a shorter commercial crabbing season in response to a drop in the abundance of juvenile crabs.
Blue crabs are vital to our region's economy and are an important part of the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. Poor water quality, habitat loss, harvest pressure and predation affect their continued health. Water quality improvements, underwater grass restoration and proper harvest management will be critical to maintaining this valuable resource.
Management Strategy
To achieve this outcome, Chesapeake Bay Program partners have committed to:
- Planning and implementing the next benchmark stock assessment; and
- Evaluating an allocation-based jurisdictional management framework.
Monitoring and assessing progress toward the outcome will occur through the Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee’s (CBSAC) annual review of blue crab survey data and determination of population status relative to biological reference points. The continuation of the annual Bay-wide Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey will be essential in estimating the blue crab population and monitoring the stock.
As part of the Chesapeake Bay Program’s partnership-wide implementation of adaptive management, progress toward this outcome was reviewed and discussed by the Management Board in November of 2021. It will be reviewed and discussed by the Management Board again in November 2023.
Logic & Action Plan
Chesapeake Bay Program partners have committed to taking a series of specific actions that will support the management approaches listed above.
Completed actions from this outcome's Logic & Action Plan include:
- In 2016, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Virginia Marine Resources Commission and Potomac River Fisheries Commission sought constituent feedback on the potential establishment and allocation of a Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for the Chesapeake Bay's commercial and recreational blue crab fisheries. The Sustainable Fisheries Goal Implementation Team (GIT) received feedback from the Maryland Tidal Fisheries Advisory Commission, Virginia Crab Management Advisory Committee and Potomac River Fisheries Commission, and summarized the concerns of both management agencies and stakeholder organizations for the Chesapeake Bay Program's Management Board.
Participating Partners
The Sustainable Fisheries Goal Implementation Team leads the effort to achieve this outcome. Participating partners include:
- Maryland Department of Natural Resources (State of Maryland)
- University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Chesapeake Biological Laboratory (State of Maryland)
- Old Dominion University (Commonwealth of Virginia)
- Virginia Institute of Marine Science (Commonwealth of Virginia)
- Virginia Marine Resources Commission (Commonwealth of Virginia)
- Potomac River Fisheries Commission
- Chesapeake Bay Commission
- National Marine Fisheries Service (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
- University of North Florida
Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia also engage commercial and recreational blue crab harvesters through committees and advisory groups, which include the Maryland Blue Crab Industry Advisory Committee, Blue Crab Industry Design Team, Sport Fisheries Advisory Commission and Tidal Fisheries Advisory Commission; the Virginia Blue Crab Industry Panel and Marine Resources Commission Crab Management Advisory Committee; and the Potomac River Crab Advisory Committee.