Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee

The Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee (CBSAC) implements the management strategy associated with the Blue Crab Abundance Outcome in the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement.

Meetings

About

The Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee (CBSAC) combines the expertise of state representatives and scientists from the Chesapeake Bay region with federal fisheries scientists from the National Marine Fisheries Service’s Northeast and Southeast Fisheries Science Centers. This committee has met each year since 1997 to review the results of annual Chesapeake Bay blue crab surveys and harvest data, and to develop management advice for Chesapeake Bay jurisdictions: the state of Maryland, Commonwealth of Virginia, and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission (PRFC).

Charter

The 2024 Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee Charter provides clarification for the structure and operations of CBSAC. It includes a framework that identifies the roles and responsibilities of CBSAC and its individual members, as well as guidance for formal Committee procedures such as adding new members and making science-based management recommendations. The framework in this charter also provides mechanisms to expand the traditional role of CBSAC to include other key species apart from blue crab and to support ecosystem-based approaches to resource management in the Chesapeake Bay. This charter supersedes previous charters, including charters from 2021, 2020 and 2016.

Membership Application

To become a member of the Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee, complete this membership application. Voting members are expected to fully participate in meetings, report preparations and scientific analyses that support blue crab management.

Projects

Blue Crab Harvest Reporting Efforts

Complete

This reporting document was published in December 2021 and provides an overview of jurisdictions' efforts to collect blue crab harvest information and challenges to improving reporting accuracy.

Publications

2025 Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab Advisory Report

Publication date:

Each year, from December to March, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and Virginia Institute of Marine Science conduct the Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey to estimate the abundance of blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay. The estimated abundance of mature females from the Winter Dredge Survey and female harvest estimates from each jurisdiction are used to assess blue crab stock status relative to female-specific management reference points. The Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee (CBSAC) meets each spring to review the results of the latest Winter Dredge Survey and the previous season’s harvest estimates to develop management recommendations for the jurisdictions. This report summarizes the 2025 Winter Dredge Survey and 2024 harvest data discussed at the May 15, 2025, CBSAC meeting.

View document [PDF, 1.0 MB] 2025 Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab Advisory Report

Our Watershed Agreement Goals & Outcomes

Sustainable Fisheries Goal

Our Members