Chesapeake Bay Crab Population on the Rise

owner Jesse Lowers made a simple observation regarding the importance of the crab population in Maryland:

“The more crabs there are, the better it is for business and for those who love crabs in Maryland,” said Lowers, a Middle River businessman whose has been a commercial fisherman in the state for nearly 20 years.

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If that is the case, then business should soon be picking up for Lowers and other crabbers in the state. A survey released Thursday by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources shows the state’s blue crab population is at its highest since 1993.

According to the wintertime survey, an estimated 764 million crabs were in the Chesapeake Bay, nearly 66 percent more than last year’s 461 million crabs. The survey had the population at its highest since there were 852 million reported 19 years ago and represents a huge recovery in the crop since the survey found 255 million crabs in the Bay in 2007.

Juvenile crabs reached a record-high of 587 million this year, nearly triple last year's 207 million. The previous record of 512 million was set in 1997, according to the survey.

"Just a few short years ago, the future did not look bright for our blue crab population," said Gov. Martin O'Malley in a statement following an announcement Thursday to release the figures. "Our female crabs were being overfished, and our fishery was at risk of complete collapse.

“Today's announcement marks four years in a row of progress to restore the blue crab. The kind of progress we're making today really only happens when we work together.”

Efforts to grow the Bay’s crab population began in 2008 when Maryland and Virginia among others worked together to increase efforts to contain the annual harvest, according to a DNR news release.

Among other highlights of the survey was that the number of juvenile crabs increased to 587 million this year, up from 207 million in 2011 and the most recorded since Maryland began the survey in 1990.

But, the survey also pointed out a source of concern for DNR as the number of spawning-age females decreased from 190 million to 97 million crabs.

DNR officials are not alarmed by the decrease in the female population and believe last year’s severe storms and warm winter may have had an impact on conducting an accurate survey.

“The drop in abundance of spawning-age females is neither unusual nor unprecedented – in fact, we expect this type of variation in populations from year to year," said DNR Secretary John Griffin in a statement.

As for what all this means for crab lovers in Maryland, Lowers hopes it leads to plentiful supplies at more affordable prices.

“It’s all about supply and demand,” Lowers said. “Numbers like these means there is another year we can work and bring in quality crabs to our customers.”

How many times do you plan to get Maryland crabs this year? Where will you buy them from? Tell us in the comments section below.