Rockfish like crabs to.

[Caution]

Rock fish are eating all the crabs

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=597971776925678

You can guess he is a crabber. I can't see why he sliced that fish open like that.

 

[NorthBeachPerso]

Watermen have being saying that for years and is the reason that crabs are scarce. Nothing about VA crabbers being allowed until recently to harvest sponge crabs during the winter. Nothing about habitat degradation. Nothing about overharvesting by both recreational and commercial crabbers. It's those damned Rockfish.

 

[Midnightrider]

Watermen have being saying that for years and is the reason that crabs are scarce. Nothing about VA crabbers being allowed until recently to harvest sponge crabs during the winter. Nothing about habitat degradation. Nothing about overharvesting by both recreational and commercial crabbers. It's those damned Rockfish.

Crabs don't "sponge" in the winter. But I agree with your point, dredging for crabs in va and keeping females (everywhere) probably has more to do with the decline in crab population than rockfish.

 

[aps45819]

Crabs don't "sponge" in the winter. But I agree with your point, dredging for crabs in va and keeping females (everywhere) probably has more to do with the decline in crab population than rockfish.

That and the loss of the grass beds

 

[struggler44]

There wasn't a crab shortage until the Rockfish moratorium. Just sayin'

 

[Midnightrider]

There wasn't a crab shortage until the Rockfish moratorium. Just sayin'

And there wasn't a crab, oyster, or rockfish shortage prior to the over fishing that happened in the late 19th and 20th centuries. Just saying.

 

[Gilligan]

That and the loss of the grass beds

Huge factor, I'm sure. The cove in front of my place filled back in with grass again for the first time in about 12 or more years...because the invasive swann's have finally been almost completely eradicated. They covered the cove 150 at a time and ate the grass like cows.

 

[Monello]

The lack of menhaden is hurting the crabs. Rockfish can't find the baitfish to eat so they dine on juvenile crabs instead. The fish are rendered for their oil and turned into fish oil capsules.

There is a delicate balance in nature. Man gums up 1 of the variables and then is surprised when there are negative consequences.

 

[limblips]

The lack of menhaden is hurting the crabs. Rockfish can't find the baitfish to eat so they dine on juvenile crabs instead. The fish are rendered for their oil and turned into fish oil capsules.

There is a delicate balance in nature. Man gums up 1 of the variables and then is surprised when there are negative consequences.

Yepper! Been saying that for years but Omega Proteins continues to rape the menhaden.

 

[JoeMac]

The narrator makes a fool of himself suggesting rockfish are to blame for the variations in crab populations. Like rockfish and crabs haven't been cohabitating for thousands (tens/hundreds of thousands??) of years. With his logic the blue crab should be extinct.

In reference to the Menhaden, did you know that they are allowed to take essentially however many they want but recreational fisherman are not allowed to take them at all?

 

[Monello]

Declining numbers over the years

 

[Caution]

Decking numbers over the years

Ya that isn't helping anything.

We are looking to head out at first light on the Patuxent. Pulled the boat out of the Potomac Friday and have been rigging poles ever since. LOL Looks like the bigger Rockfish are trying to slowly make there way in from what I see on the TF forums. Get to go try out a few new poles tomorrow and get those tweaked in. Looking forward to getting some fish on.

 

[Gilligan]

Declining numbers over the years

wow.

 

[Caution]

The mystery of the missing blue crabs

Scientists unable to completely explain how an extra ordinary abundance of juveniles resulted in a disappointing harvest.

Bay Journal - Article: The mystery of the missing blue crabs