Results from the 25th Bay-wide Winter Dredge Survey, conducted from December 2013 to March 2014 by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and Maryland Department of Natural Resources, indicate the blue crab stock is depleted but overfishing was not occurring in 2013. The 2013/14 Winter Dredge Survey estimates of abundance of all size classes of crabs was 297 million crabs, and this total abundance was similar to the 2013 total abundance of 300 million crabs. The most recent total abundance of 297 million crabs was the sixth lowest observed during this survey, which started in the winter of 1989-1990. The abundance of juvenile crabs (both male and female crabs) that measure less than 2.4 inches in carapace width was the thirteenth lowest in 25 years, at 198 million crabs. The number of female crabs that could spawn in 2013 was 68.5 million and was the sixth lowest estimate for the 25 year Chesapeake Bay-wide survey. The low number of spawning-age female crabs has resulted in the depleted stock status determination.

Year-to-year variation in abundance of blue crabs can be expected as a result of the effects of environmental influences especially for early life stages of crabs. Juvenile crab abundance can vary because of inter-annual difference in entrainment of crab larvae from the ocean to the Virginia portion of the Chesapeake Bay. Environmental factors including weather conditions and predation can have an effect on all life stages of the crab population. Conservation of female spawning-age crabs is the primary management objective to ensure variability of the blue crab stock abundance is moderate. Since 2008, there has been a continuation, by all Chesapeake Bay jurisdictions, of management measures that conserve the spawning-age female crabs. Despite these management measures, the number of spawning-age female crabs estimated in 2014 was lower than 70 million, and successive years of that depleted condition can threaten the stability of the valued stock, even though overfishing was not occurring for the sixth straight year. The impact of environmental factors including weather conditions, an unusually cold 2013 winter, and predation may have contributed to the decline in the number of spawning-age female crabs. To address the decrease in the female spawning-age blue crab biomass, fishery managers from the three Chesapeake Bay jurisdictions enacted management measures to protect female spawning-age crabs and increase spawning stock potential by reducing the harvest of all crabs by 10%. A reduction in harvest for all blue crabs will not only protect spawning-age females, but will also protect juvenile blue crabs that may contribute to the 2015 spawning stock.

At its June 2014 meeting, the Commission established several short-term management measures to protect female spawning-age crabs and juvenile blue crabs that should bolster to the 2015 spawning stock. The Commission adopted reduced crab pot bushel and vessel possession limits for specific time periods and implemented a season closure for all other crab gear. The reduced crab pot bushels limits extend from July 5, 2014 through July 4, 2015 for all crab pot license categories. This time period is possibly a new commercial blue crab management season for the Chesapeake Bay jurisdictions that continue through cooperative management. The Commission also closed the winter crab dredge fishery season for seventh consecutive season to allow for continued rebuilding of the spawning stock biomass.

Virginia crab and oyster industries continue to benefit from disaster relief funds provided in 2009 by the Department of Commerce for the declared Fishery Disaster in the Chesapeake Bay blue crab fisheries. This Disaster Relief Fund has provided various crab industry members (harvesters, buyers, and processors) negatively impacted by poor crab stock conditions during many years, through 2007, a source of employment. These funds have provided an opportunity to work in resource or habitat enhancement projects. The total amount of funding from the Disaster Relief Fund was $14,995,000. Of the six project areas detailed in previous reports, the oyster aquaculture and the derelict blue crab pot and marine debris removal projects continues in 2014. The oyster aquaculture project has stimulated technical advances in hatchery production needed for spat-on-shell operations. The derelict blue crab pot and marine debris removal project has begun testing a crab pot gear alternative to reduce the unwanted catch of blue crabs that can occur when blue crab pot gear is lost.