The Chesapeake Bay blue crab could be experiencing a population crash on par with the early 2000s, when experts feared the prized mid-Atlantic species was at risk of hitting unrecoverable levels.
New data from winter crab surveys completed by the states of Maryland and Virginia showed drops in both adult male and female crabs between 2024 and 2025, as well as a worrisome decline in juvenile crabs that are vulnerable to predators and other environmental stressors.
“The red flags are flying for blue crabs,” said Allison Colden, Maryland executive director of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, in a statement. “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.”
But Chesapeake Bay crab harvesters, called “watermen,” say they are not seeing evidence of a dangerously depleted blue crab stock and will lobby Maryland and Virginia to maintain current catch limits.
