Published:
November 1, 2003
Originator:
Chesapeake Bay Commission

Can we count on an abundance of Chesapeake blue crabs well into the future? This report sets about to answer some of these questions. There is some encouraging news: the four independent surveys of 2002-2003 suggest a stabilization of variable used by scientiists to track the Bay's crab population, particularly blue crab size and abundance. While these signs are positive, the technical experts responsible for this report caution that this stabilization takes place at a historic low point in the population, and they emphasize that we must stay true to the consensus statements reach by the Bi-State Blue Crab Advisory Committee, as stated in the bi-state action plan, Taking Action for the Blue Crab: Managing and Protecting the Stock and its fisheries (January 2001).

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