The crab outlook for this season is … mixed. That’s what local restaurateurs have concluded following the 2017 Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey of the Chesapeake Bay.
The results of the survey ran along a good news/marginally bad news dividing line. Researchers found that spawning females would increase for the fourth straight year, while juvenile crab populations decreased from the previous year.
The winter dredge survey, which has been conducted annually since 1990, is a joint effort between the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. Biologists spend the winter season excavating crabs buried in mud from 1,500 sites throughout the Chesapeake Bay to record their lengths and to develop population estimates.
Morgan Tolley, general manager for A.E. Phillips & Son processing plant on Hoopers Island, said this year’s dredge survey data showed a historic spawning female set.
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4 comments:
And there it is....news sources west of the Bay Bridge are screaming that this year's harvest will be the BEST ever. Words like plentiful, bountiful, huge are being used both in DC and Baltimore.
Just like clockwork, its 2 weeks from Memorial Day with all this TALK about crabs. Everyone needs to get a grip and realize what was (1990's) won't ever be again with our increased "shipping" over the years we can only "hope" for good breeding/harvests in the future.
But remember for those coming to the beach during the summertime - prices automatically increase +10 to +25 on Friday's and Saturday's. Best days to get crabs, Tues/Wed. Forget about it on holidays - that is unless you want to pay dearly for the exact same crabs that will be available a couple days later!
Liberals scream about everything
The problem is that Scientists are dredging the crabs out of the mud in winter to study them.
Scientists have an agenda.
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