Position Statements

CCA MD Position on Blue Crab Management 

Coastal Conservation Association Maryland (CCA MD) recognizes the biological, cultural, and socio-economic importance of the blue crab to the citizens of Maryland and the ecology of our marine ecosystems. We support a Blue Crab Fishery Management Plan (BCFMP) with a goal that provides for an abundant, healthy, self-sustaining population of blue crabs with a full-age structure distributed over their historic geographic range providing the maximum benefit to the citizens of Maryland from the blue crab fishery.

• CCA MD supports enforceable biologically based blue crab fishery regulations that equitably constrain both commercial and recreational fisheries to the fishing target.

• CCA MD supports a process to address user conflict and allocation that provides reasonable access to all citizens wishing to exercise their privilege to participate in Maryland’s common property blue crab fishery, while providing for a balanced, economically viable commercial blue crab fishery.

• CCA MD supports the establishment of decision rules in the BCFMP requiring timely corrective management action when biologically based thresholds are violated.

• CCA MD recommends corrective management action be taken to stop over-fishing within one year, and that an over-fished crab population be recovered to the population target within five years.

• CCA MD supports the reduction of both existing and latent commercial effort allowing the future recovery of blue crab stocks and the maintenance of an economically viable commercial blue crab fishery.

• CCA MD supports efforts to restore essential fish habitat and water quality in Maryland’s waterways to provide for ecosystems that support robust fish populations including blue crab.

Approved by Board of Directors
March 26, 2008