Improvement in Blue Crab Population is Good News, But Work Remains

(WASHINGTON – April 27, 2015) The Environmental Defense Fund has released the following statement from Matt Mullin, Northeast Regional Director, U.S. Oceans Program:

“This year’s modest improvement in the blue crab population is good news.

“But much work remains to put in place the fundamental pillars of sustainable fisheries management we need for long-term stability. By not doing so, we undermine the Bay as both an environmental resource and an economic engine. Persistent population instability in the blue crab fishery threatens the resilience of the Bay and the crabbing businesses that rely on it.

“Over the past 20 years, the crab population has been on a precarious decline. Last year we saw the same alarmingly low levels of crabs as in 2008, when federal and state governments declared the fishery a disaster. The year before was not much better. 

“State fishery managers rightly note that more needs to be done to boost blue crabs ‘above modest levels.’ It’s particularly concerning that the number of female crabs remains well below a healthy target.

“Both states have taken some steps in the right direction, but Maryland and Virginia need to improve how we manage this keystone species.  While humans may have limited control over the weather, predators or other natural variables that threaten blue crabs each year, we can control how we manage this fishery.

“For successful management we need an overall catch limit, and a better accounting of the harvest; which means getting an accurate count of how many blue crabs are really being caught. We also need to change the current system that forces watermen to catch as much as they can, as fast as they can. This is bad for the crab population and bad for watermen.

“Let’s take this opportunity to ensure that a good year for blue crabs becomes the norm, not the exception.”