Changes have been made to the daily catch and possession of male blue crabs for those on boats. These changes begin April 1 and through June 30. There was a record-low number of Maryland's signature blue crabs in 2022, low compared to when the state's Department of Natural Resources began its count in 1990. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation reported that the 2022 Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey estimated total crab abundance at 227 million, the lowest in the survey’s 33-year history. The adult female and male populations decreased, with males also at record lows and the number of juvenile crabs continuing a troubling three-year below-average trend in recruitment.
Photo: Courtesy of the CBF
