Report: More Blue Crabs in Chesapeake Bay This Year
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ/AP) — A report from the Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee shows the blue crab population in the bay has grown, but still hasn't met target levels.
Media outlets report the 2016 Bay Blue Crab Advisory Report found the overall population of blue crabs in the bay has grown from 411 million in 2015 to 533 million this year.
With about 4,480 square miles of Bay and tribal tributaries, that means there are about 118,973 crabs per square mile of the Chesapeake Bay.
To put that in perspective, using a rough measurement of 5 dozen (60) crabs per bushel, that would be about 1,983 bushels per square mile, and 8.9 million bushels total.
The amount of female blue crabs had decreased in recent years. This year, there were 194 million spawning-age female crabs in the bay, compared with 101 million in 2015. However, the target for 2016 was 215 million.
Furthermore, juvenile crabs reached a population of 271 million in 2016, up from last year's 269 million.
Maryland Department of Natural Resources spokesman Glenn Davis says current management strategies should stay in place to maintain a healthy crab population.
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