Some signs of crab population rebound;
crab industry watchers remain cautious
The local soft-shell crab season has gotten off to a slow start as some restaurants are having to scratch soft-shell crabs from the menu until the crab runs pick-up with the coming of warmer days.
“We have had a cooler than normal spring,” said local crabber Lee Walton. “The inconsistency in weather has led to inconsistency in crabs.”
Hard crabs are being caught in the bay. Kenny Heath of Cape Charles and his crew were catching their limit daily in April near the mouth of the Rappahannock River. The crab limit for Heath’s 450 crab pot license was 27 bushels on that particular day.
On April 14, Heath caught 25 bushels of sooks (female crabs) and no. 2 jimmies (male crabs) and two bushels of no. 1 jimmies. “We have been catching our limit every day we have been coming out,” said Heath. “The jimmie basket market brings more money than sooks and we have not been catching many no. 1 jimmies.”
Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey — 2023
The Chesapeake Bay blue crab population is showing encouraging signs of a rebound from recent record lows, according to results from the 2023 bay-wide Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey.
Although the spawning stock has returned to healthy levels, fishery managers remain cautious…
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