Chesapeake Crab Assessment Focuses On Females

BALTIMORE - Big male crabs fetch the highest prices, but when it comes to ensuring the Chesapeake Bay will continue to produce them, researchers are increasingly paying attention to how many females are harvested.

A new assessment released Tuesday recommends how many females should be in the bay and how many can be taken to maintain a sustainable population. Biologists have previously said about 200 million adult crabs were needed to ensure a healthy population.

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