The Chesapeake Bay blue crab stock is not over fished (an overfished condition would mean that stock maintenance capability could be jeopardized) and overfishing is not occurring.

All findings from recent reviews of the status of the Chesapeake Bay blue crab stock indicate a continuation of a low abundance of both exploitable size blue crabs and mature female blue crabs. The most recent exploitation rate (2005 season) indicates that 37% of the stock is being removed on an annual basis, and this exploitation rate is below the target exploitation rate for the first time in several years. Managers within the Chesapeake Bay jurisdictions have the benefit of a control rule, whereby annual estimates of abundance and the exploitation rate can be referenced against standards, to guide management efforts.

The Chesapeake Bay Commission’s Bi-State Blue Crab Technical Advisory Committee (BBTAC) released an August 2006 report, “Blue Crab2005, Status of the Chesapeake Population and its Fisheries" presents the findings and advice, following the 2005 crabbing season and the 2005-2006 winter dredge survey. The report states that 2005 can be reported as a slightly above average year in nearly a decade of low abundance. The lower stock levels of the winter dredge survey in 2005-2006 offer a preliminary indication that modest improvements seen in 2005 may not mean the beginning of a long-term trend. Cautious management should continue.

More recently, the final draft of the 2006 Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab Advisory Report, prepared by the Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee (CBSAC), compared the current status of the blue crab stock to thresholds and targets defined by the control rule initiated by the stock assessment of 2005. Stock abundance in 2005 was greater than the overfished threshold (an empirically observed minimum level of abundance thought necessary for stock maintenance). Exploitation (U), defined as the proportion of the legal-sized crabs available at the beginning of the year that were harvested has decreased in recent years and in 2005 was lower than the target level for the first time since 1997. However, low abundance, combined with an extended period of high exploitation rates, indicated a stock condition that warrants concern for the ninth consecutive year

The Marine Resources Commission is currently discussing several problems associated with managing this important resource, and its Blue Crab Citizen Advisory Committee has been discussing these issues, summarized below, in detail.

1) Since 1996 the Commission has banned the harvesting of dark-brown and black-colored sponge crabs, but recent scientific evidence from VIMS suggests that a large fraction of sponges, and even some of the female crabs, suffer mortality from the harvesting and handling by the harvesters. The conservation benefits of this regulatory requirement appear to be less than originally promoted by VIMS and the Commission; 2) In recent months, the Commission’s Blue Crab Citizen Advisory Committee has been assessing current harvest areas that may be suitable for incorporation into the 927 square-mile summertime Virginia Blue Crab Sanctuary. An area that includes ocean waters that stretch south, from near the Capes of Virginia to the North Carolina-Virginia Line has been viewed favorably for inclusion in the sanctuary; and, 3) The Potomac River Fisheries Commission has proposed an increase in the current minimum size limit on male and peeler crabs harvested in the Potomac River tributaries to Virginia. The requested increase would align the minimum size limits of the Potomac tributaries to those of the mainstem Potomac River.

The Commission will convene its Blue Crab Citizen Advisory Committee, prior to the start of the 2007 crab potting season, for the purpose of discussing solutions to these problems.