An annual report has found the overall population of blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay has declined, and it recommended scaling back the number harvested in the fall.

The annual Blue Crab Advisory Report was released Monday. It was developed by scientists and other experts and will be used by state officials in Maryland and Virginia and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission to develop crab management strategies.

The report found that while numbers of adult female crabs in the Bay increased by 31 percent in 2017, the overall population decreased by almost 18 percent. The number of juvenile crabs decreased by 54 percent from 2016 to 2017.

Blue crab harvest has increased since 2014. The three management jurisdictions implemented additional commercial harvest restrictions, mostly lower bushel limits, for females for the 2014 season in response to the depleted abundance of females in 2014. Maryland increased these bushel limits in 2015 and 2016, and all three jurisdictions extended the fall crab pot season in 2016. The 2016 commercial harvest for both males and females from the Bay and its tributaries was estimated as 30.7 million pounds in Maryland, 26.0 million pounds in Virginia and 3.2 million pounds in the Potomac River. This was an increase from 2015 commercial harvest levels for all three jurisdictions: a 15% increase for Maryland, 24% increase for Virginia and a 60% increase for the Potomac River. The total 2016 Baywide commercial harvest of approximately million pounds remains below average, but increased by 20% from the 2015 Baywide commercial harvest of approximately 50 million pounds (Figures7-8).  

Blue crab populations can vary widely based on weather, water temperature and other conditions, as well as fishing pressure.

Read the full report.