In May, results of the 2025 Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey were released by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS). The annual cooperative survey estimates the number of blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay.
2025 Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey Highlights
- The survey estimates that the Chesapeake Bay will contain approximately 238 million blue crabs in 2025, a decrease from last year’s 317 million crabs.
- The survey found declines in abundance of adult male and female crabs, as well as juvenile crab populations.
- The survey indicates below average juvenile recruitment for the sixth consecutive year.
- This year’s total estimated abundance is the second lowest in the history of the survey, which has operated since 1990.
- The juvenile abundance of 103 million in 2025 was a decrease from 138 million last year, and the third lowest abundance on record.
- The estimated number of spawning age female crabs decreased from 133 million in 2024 to 108 million in 2025.
- The number of adult male crabs decreased from 46 million in 2024 to 26 million in 2025.
The Winter Dredge Survey has been conducted cooperatively by Maryland and Virginia since 1990, and the results are reviewed annually in an effort to have consistent management efforts across the jurisdictions.
Throughout the survey, biologists use dredge equipment to capture, measure, record and release blue crabs at 1,500 sites throughout the Chesapeake Bay from December through March.
Detailed results of the 2024 Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey are available on the DNR website.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.