In June, the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) voted to implement new fisheries management measures to conserve adult female and juvenile blue crabs through targeted harvest reductions.
The Commission voted to reduce crab pot bushel and vessel limits by 10 percent for 12 months, July 5, 2014 to July 4, 2015. The Commission also closed the crab dredge fishery season for the seventh year in a row.
According to VMRC, the new management measures were taken as a result of the 2014 Annual Winter Dredge Survey which indicated female blue crabs dropped below the safe level of 70 million and are in a depleted state. Juvenile crab numbers increased and have remained at a safe level for the sixth consecutive year.
source: Virginia Marine Resources Commission
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.