![]() However, the blue crab population has fluctuated over time in response to fishing pressure and environmental drivers including pollution and habitat loss. The Bay’s signature crustacean is one of the most recognizable critters in the watershed, supporting valuable commercial and recreational fisheries. However, management actions initiated in 2008-including a blue crab spawning sanctuary and harvest restrictions-helped the Bay’s blue crab population rebound toward a healthy, sustainable level.There is nothing more “Chesapeake” than the blue crab. Survey results show that there was a persistent and substantial decline in the spawning stock, recruitment, larval abundance, and female size of blue crabs in Chesapeake Bay between 19. The Virginia Marine Resources Commission, the Potomac River Fisheries Commission, and other resource management agencies rely on its findings, along with data on annual fishery removals, to guide their on-going management of Chesapeake Bay’s blue crab stock. The winter dredge survey is the most comprehensive and statistically sound of the blue-crab surveys conducted in the Bay. Understand seasonal migration patterns, and.Characterize the size and sex of individual crabs.Identify year-to-year trends in blue crab abundance.Accurately gauge the total population of blue crabs in Chesapeake Bay.The survey, in operation since 1990, allows researchers to ![]() The Bay-wide Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey is an annual cooperative effort between the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) and the Fisheries Service of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR). ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |