Lilypad
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Blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay are holding steady, but fishing limits still are needed, a three-state commission concluded Tuesday.
The Chesapeake Bay Commission, a study group set up by state lawmakers in Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania, estimated the blue crab population last year at about 350 million. That's several million more crabs than a low point in 2001, but well below historical levels. More than 800 million blue crabs were thought to be in the bay in 1990.
Scientists who conducted the survey said it was good news that the blue crab population is stable, but water quality and habitat loss are still a concern. The best news, they said, was that catch limits imposed by the states in 2002 are being followed. Last year was the first in which watermen caught fewer crabs than the limit.
"The take-home message is that the condition of the blue crab population has improved," said Thomas Miller, professor at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, who worked on the survey.
Watermen last year caught about 60 million pounds of crabs. The catch was about 37 percent of the crab population. Before the limits, watermen took about 72 percent of the bay's crabs in 1999.
The catch is now regulated by the Virginia, Maryland and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission. The survey noted that catch limits are helping preserve the population and should be continued.
"The reason why this is very significant is because several years ago there were some alarming trends with blue crabs," said Ann Swanson, head of the commission.
There were points of worry for scientists, too. Survey authors noted that low-oxygen zones in the bay last year meant less habitat for the crabs. They also pointed out that fewer grass beds on the bay floor may be contributing to high juvenile mortality rates and that population surveys this year pointed to a return to lower numbers.
Swanson said the survey shows that fishing limits are effective and should be maintained. "The blue crab should be able to rebuild its abundance, but we have to keep the fishing pressure" low, she said.
How long has this same conversation being going on??
Are crabs going to have the same fate as oysters?
The Chesapeake Bay Commission, a study group set up by state lawmakers in Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania, estimated the blue crab population last year at about 350 million. That's several million more crabs than a low point in 2001, but well below historical levels. More than 800 million blue crabs were thought to be in the bay in 1990.
Scientists who conducted the survey said it was good news that the blue crab population is stable, but water quality and habitat loss are still a concern. The best news, they said, was that catch limits imposed by the states in 2002 are being followed. Last year was the first in which watermen caught fewer crabs than the limit.
"The take-home message is that the condition of the blue crab population has improved," said Thomas Miller, professor at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, who worked on the survey.
Watermen last year caught about 60 million pounds of crabs. The catch was about 37 percent of the crab population. Before the limits, watermen took about 72 percent of the bay's crabs in 1999.
The catch is now regulated by the Virginia, Maryland and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission. The survey noted that catch limits are helping preserve the population and should be continued.
"The reason why this is very significant is because several years ago there were some alarming trends with blue crabs," said Ann Swanson, head of the commission.
There were points of worry for scientists, too. Survey authors noted that low-oxygen zones in the bay last year meant less habitat for the crabs. They also pointed out that fewer grass beds on the bay floor may be contributing to high juvenile mortality rates and that population surveys this year pointed to a return to lower numbers.
Swanson said the survey shows that fishing limits are effective and should be maintained. "The blue crab should be able to rebuild its abundance, but we have to keep the fishing pressure" low, she said.
How long has this same conversation being going on??
Are crabs going to have the same fate as oysters?
