by Karl Blankenship, Bay Journal News Service
The number of blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay this winter plummeted to the fourth lowest on record, driven largely by the worst-ever showing of juvenile crabs since an annual baywide survey began in 1990.
Although the juvenile drop is concerning, fishery managers say the number of adult females remains robust. They hope the females will produce a better crop of juveniles when they breed later this year.
This year’s winter dredge survey, which provides an annual snapshot of the health of the blue crab stock, estimated that the Chesapeake had 282 million crabs, the lowest number since 2007. That figure includes just 81 million juveniles, the lowest in the survey’s history.
But the number of young crabs naturally varies….
| There’s more to this story, and many more news articles, photos and ads available only in our online e-Edition or in the printed version. Become a subscriber today! • To access or subscribe to the e-Edition, go - HERE • To subscribe to the printed version, go - HERE • To buy the printed version at a newsstand, - HERE are our locations. For assistance, please call us at 804-435-1701, extension 16. |
June 09, 2021 at 04:31PM
https://ift.tt/3gq75qG
Survey yields mixed verdict on blue crab stock - Rappahannock Record
https://ift.tt/2MkGRbk
Crab
No comments:
Post a Comment