Blue Crabs - How You Can Help

Everyone can help reduce their impact on the Bay's blue crabs and their habitat. Follow these simple tips to do your part to help the Bay.

At Home

• Switch to low- or no-phosphorus dish detergents.
• Maintan your septic system by having it pumped out every three to five years.

In Your Backyard

• Wait until fall to fertilize your lawn. Heavy spring rains wash fertilizers off our lawns and into local waterways, where they can fuel the growth of algae that impacts fish and blue crabs.
• Replace traditional springtime fertilizing with “grasscycling,” or leaving leftover grass clippings on your lawn after mowing. This is a natural fertilizer that can reduce 25 to 50 percent of your lawn’s nitrogen needs.
• If you must fertilize your lawn, make sure to follow directions on the product and use only the amount of fertilizer your lawn needs. Twice the product does not mean twice the results!
• Keep fertilizer off hard surfaces like walkways, driveways and streets, where it will easily wash into storm drains and streams.
• Plant trees and shrubs to reduce polluted runoff from your yard.
• Pick up after your pet, whether in the yard, on the sidewalk or in a park. It’s a dirty job, but pet waste can contribute nutrients and bacteria to local water sources.
• In the fall, compost fallen leaves to reduce the need to fertilize.

On the Road

• Reduce the amount of miles you drive by carpooling, walking, biking, telecommuting, using public transportation, or combining errands to save on extra trips.
• Avoid unnecessary idling, which wastes fuel, costs you money and pollutes the air, no matter how efficient your car is.

On the Water

• Keep human waste in a portable toilet or holding tank and only dispose of it at an approved disposal facility. Encourage your marina owner to maintain an adequate pump-out facility if one is not available.

At Work/School

• Observe wake laws, as large wakes from boats and personal watercraft in shallow waters can contribute to shoreline erosion and stir up bottom sediments, impacting underwater bay grasses. Boaters should observe no-wake laws and speed limits, and steer clear of shallow water grass beds.
• Help reduce pollution from vehicle emissions by sharing rides or taking public transportation. Extra hours on the road mean higher amounts of vehicle emissions that ultimately affect our air and water quality.