Unusually frigid temperatures this winter caused a nearly one-third drop in the Chesapeake Bay’s blue crab population, but officials said Tuesday the adult population is self-sustaining and they are considering easing the catch limits put in place three years ago. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ annual winter dredge survey shows the crab population is at 460 million, down from 658 million in last year’s survey. In 2010, the population increased by 67 percent from 393 million in 2009.
The cold winter wiped out 31 percent of the Bay’s adult crabs, up from 11 percent last year.
Still, Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley said the adult population is above the conservation goal of 200 million and total population is at its second-highest level in more than a decade. The highest count since 1997 was last year’s population of more than 650 million.
| Chesapeake crab population | ||
| Catch restrictions imposed in 2008 | ||
| Year | Adult population | Total population |
| 2007 | 143 million | 249 million |
| 2008 | 120 million | 291 million |
| 2009 | 240 million | 393 million |
| 2010 | 315 million | 658 million |
| 2011 | 254 million | 460 million |
| Source: Maryland Department of Natural Resources | ||
Easing restrictions could reduce the price of local crab and potentially be a boost to the summer selling season, seafood wholesalers said. Last year more than 89 million pounds of blue crab was harvested, the most since 1993, according to the DNR.
“The more plentiful they are, the cheaper they are; the cheaper they are, the more we can sell,” said Sunny White, co-owner of Captain White’s Seafood at D.C.’s Southwest Waterfront. White said he sells about 300 bushels of crabs daily to individuals and restaurants for $65 per bushel.
However, others note the increasing price of gasoline may wash out any savings the customer may get with a more plentiful supply.
Dave Webb, manager of the Maryland Wholesale Seafood Market in Jessup, said prices so far have remained steady but wholesalers are bracing for bad news.
“If gas keeps going up, it affects the price,” he said. “So they’re really putting a hurt on it.”
Maryland implemented the catch restrictions in 2008, which were designed to reduce the harvesting of female blue crabs by 34 percent. At the time, the population of adult blue crabs was 120 million, well below the state’s goal. Total population, including juveniles, was 280 million.
Bruce Whalen, manager of Cantler’s Riverside Inn in Annapolis, said in 2008 that the $4-a-gallon gas prices had a more significant effect on crab prices than the catch restrictions.
“Pricing went up a little bit because we did have to get out-of-state [crabs] … early on in the summer,” he said.
