Chesapeake’s Crab Population At Lowest Since 1990, Survey Finds

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — The number of blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay is estimated to be at the lowest level observed since an annual survey tracking the population began in 1990, officials announced Thursday.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ annual winter dredge survey, a cooperative effort with the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, estimated that 227 million crabs are living in the nation’s largest estuary, down from 282 million in 2021. The survey’s hig