www.cbf.org
Survey results show second lowest total crab abundance in recent history
Maryland 2025 - Blue crabs in Maryland and Virginia have dipped to the second lowest number in recent history, according to results issued today from the annual blue crab winter dredge survey conducted jointly by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
The 2025 survey estimated total crab abundance at 238 million, the second lowest since the surveys began in 1990. This comes just three years after an all-time low in 2022 of 226 million crabs.
This year’s decline spread across all segments of the population, including adult male crabs at 26 million, adult female crabs at 108 million, and juvenile crabs at 103 million. These numbers are significantly lower than 2024's results, which were just slightly below average.
Blue crab numbers can vary dramatically year by year, depending on weather trends, predator numbers, and habitat availability. The loss of critical crab habitat, such as underwater grasses, as well as the rise of invasive predators like blue catfish, can threaten blue crabs. Other factors like climate change and polluted runoff can also be detrimental for young and spawning crabs.
Chesapeake Bay area residents believe blue crabs are the Bay animal in most need of protection, according to polling results conducted by Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) earlier this year. Because of the blue crab's short lifespan, no single response can be the solution. Only a comprehensive and collaborative approach will improve the population. Given that, CBF urges:
- Maryland to maintain current regulations for male crabs and further strengthen protections for female crabs, including reducing the importation of egg bearing “sponge” crabs from Virginia;
- Virginia to reduce its blue crab harvest, and consider additional protections for males, which have reached a historic low;
- The federal government to fully fund programs and agencies like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Environmental Protection Agency that support regional clean water initiatives that protect blue crab habitat.
Despite annual surveying and management framework advancements, the exact causes of blue crabs’ decline are still somewhat a mystery to scientists. Thankfully, Maryland and Virginia are currently conducting a comprehensive stock assessment for blue crabs, slated for completion in late 2026. The last assessment was completed nearly 15 years ago in 2011. Many environmental conditions have changed during that time due to climate change, habitat loss, and the expansion of blue catfish, a voracious predator of young crabs. The updated assessment will give critical insights into those drivers of blue crabs’ decline, as well as tangible management recommendations that could better protect the species from further collapse.
The blue crab fishery is cooperatively managed by Maryland and Virginia. Each state must consider further protections for this critical species, and U.S. Congress should protect and fully fund agency budgets that help protect blue crabs and the Chesapeake Bay’s ecological heritage.
CBF’s Maryland Executive Director, Allison Colden, issued the following statement:
“The red flags are flying for blue crabs. With more than five years of below average crab numbers, it is clear that changing conditions in the Bay are undermining the current management of this important species.
“The winter dredge survey provides a snapshot in time. The upcoming comprehensive stock assessment, due in 2026, will give us a more complete picture of the impacts of environmental threats to blue crabs, and what Maryland and Virginia can do to better protect them. Managers must heed those assessment results, and act swiftly to protect the opportunity for the next generation to experience the joy of a summertime crab feast.”
Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Virginia Executive Director, Chris Moore, issued the following statement:
“The latest blue crab numbers are extremely distressing. Blue crabs are a staple on our plates, in our water, and in our culture. We must protect them in order ensure their important role in the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem and preserve sustainable harvests for the most valuable commercial fishery in the Bay.
“Given the continued decline of males in the population, Virginia should look for ways to reduce harvest of male crabs — which has been a growing part of our crab harvest. We are eager to see the results of the 2026 stock assessment and resulting harvest changes that can help secure this species’ future.”
CBF’s Federal Director, Keisha Sedlacek, issued the following statement:
“Blue crab numbers are crashing just as the Trump Administration dismantles programs restoring water quality and underwater habitat like grasses vital for crabs. Saving the Bay and its iconic species like crabs has always been a bi-partisan effort. Congress must work together to ensure federal investments in restoration continue. We cannot backtrack on blue crabs or the Bay.”
Kenny Fletcher | Director of Communications and Media Relations, CBF
