The most updated edition of the annual Chesapeake Bay blue crab winter dredge survey has found that the blue crab population in the U.S. states of Maryland and Virginia is the second-smallest recorded in recent history.
The survey, conducted by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, estimated the total crab population to be 238 million, just above 2022’s all-time low of 226 million.
Last year, the estimated blue crab population in the same area was only slightly below average, coming in at 317 million blue crabs. Experts aren’t sure why the species’ population varies so dramatically year to year, but some believe that environmental factors such as loss of critical habitats and the rise of invasive predators may be playing a role in declines.
Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) Executive Director for Maryland Allison Colden called the 2025 survey results a “red flag” for the species.
“With more than five years of below average crab numbers, it is clear that changing conditions in the bay are undermining the current management of this important species,” she said.
The winter dredge survey results have prompted Maryland and Virginia to ...
