MARYLAND BLUE CRABS By: Burk Hill

DETAILS ABOUT CRABS Crabs serve as predator and prey in the Chesapeake bay ecosystem Can grow up to 9.1 inches Crabs are keystone creature in Chesapeake Bay food web 418 million crabs were estimated to be living in the Chesapeake Bay in 2009 In 2009 there was a 70% increase in male crabs since 2008 The juvenile (less than 1 year old) crab population was below the historical average of 259 million

THE ECONOMY CRABS CREATE  One third of the nation’s blue crabs come from the Chesapeake Bay  For the past 60 years, blue crabs have dominated the Chesapeake Bay’s commercial fisheries  In 2000, the crab harvest was valued at approx. $55 million

REGULATIONS MMinimum size for a soft shell crab is 3 ½ inch MMinimum size for a peeler is 3 ¼ inch April first to July 14 th from July 15 th to December 15 th is 3 ½ inch SSeason for hard shell blue crabs is April 1 st to December 15 th with a minimum size 5 inches April first to July 14 th

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AFFECTING THE INDUSTRY  Some years, with crab pots, female crabs are being too heavily crabbed that they can not reproduce enough crabs for the next years  With pollution a big factor in the Chesapeake bay it is hard for any species to maintain a large population with it being heavily harvested annually  After reaching a juvenile stage the crabs start to look for a place to live, so they try to find grass or S.A.V.s (submerged aquatic vegetation) to hid until grown up