MARYLAND BLUE CRABSBy: Burk Hill

DETAILS ABOUT CRABS

• Crabs serve as predator and prey in the Chesapeake bay ecosystem

• Can grow up to 9.1 inches• Crabs are keystone creature in

Chesapeake Bay food web• 418 million crabs were estimated to

be living in the Chesapeake Bay in 2009

• In 2009 there was a 70% increase in male crabs since 2008

• The juvenile (less than 1 year old) crab population was below the historical average of 259 million

THE ECONOMY CRABS CREATE

One third of the nation’s blue crabs come from the Chesapeake Bay

For the past 60 years, blue crabs

have dominated the Chesapeake

Bay’s commercial fisheries

In 2000, the crab harvest was

valued at approx. $55 million

REGULATIONS

Minimum size for a soft shell crab is 3 ½ inch Minimum size for a peeler is 3 ¼ inch April first to July

14th from July 15th to December 15th is 3 ½ inch Season for hard shell blue crabs is April 1st to December

15th with a minimum size 5 inches April first to July 14th

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AFFECTING THE INDUSTRY

Some years, with crab pots, female crabs are being too heavily crabbed that they can not reproduce enough crabs for the next years

With pollution a big factor in the Chesapeake bay it is hard for any species to maintain a large population with it being heavily harvested annually

After reaching a juvenile stage the crabs start to look for a place to live, so they try to find grass or S.A.V.s (submerged aquatic vegetation) to hid until grown up