Sometime in mid-September, a sea parade of female crabs, fresh from Maryland encounters with those No. 1 Jimmys (male crabs), will head down the Chesapeake Bay to a winter sanctuary in Virginia where they will launch the next generation.
Warning to the she-crabs: this year there’s no guarantee of safe passage. Apparently, you are just too good at what you do.
Sharp limits on the taking of female crabs imposed since 2008 combined with favorable winds, tides and temperatures have produced spectacular results. The bay’s crab population, then at historic lows, has more than doubled in just two years. Sparing the pregnant moms, who knew?
GO HERE to read more.
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
I've been an avid weekend crabber since I was able to walk and pull up the crab traps. Maybe it's just me, but I've never kept a female. Not once.
ReplyDeleteI have enough females at home, why would I want to bring another one home.
ReplyDeletewow these scientist are awesome...it takes a crab 3 years to mature but these regulations have only been in effect for one year, yet the crab populaion has tripled...super job then again the state was given 30 million in federal funds to help the crabbers but the crabbers received less than 5 million where is the other 25 million,,,,i guess they bought baby crabs and dumped them off of the bay bridge
ReplyDelete