Maryland to place crabbing restrictions on Chesapeake Bay blue crab catches

Maryland will place restrictions and limits on Chesapeake Bay blue crab catches following a worrisome survey that says the crustaceans are at their lowest levels in decades.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Maryland will place restrictions and limits on Chesapeake Bay blue crab catches following a worrisome survey that says the crustaceans are at their lowest levels in decades.

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Commercial waterman will be limited to 15 bushels of male crabs a day in August and September. They will also end the season two weeks early on November 30. The bushel limit is the first ever placed on the daily haul of blue crabs.

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According to the 2022 Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey, which is an annual estimate of the population of blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, the estimated total crab population is at 227 million.

This is the lowest number recorded in the survey's 33-year history, according to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.