The 2022 Baywide Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey reported the lowest total blue crab abundance observed since the survey began in 1990.

The results of the winter dredge survey are available online on our website.

Based on these results and the management recommendations from the Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources is working with our neighboring jurisdictions to take management action for the remaining 2022 crabbing season to ensure the fishery remains sustainable.

We are looking for feedback from the recreational crabbing community as to which options they would prefer and why. The options we have provided focus on season and catch limits because these are changes that can be made quickly enough to be effective for this crabbing season.

Please keep in mind that there are other regulatory tools available but they cannot be enacted quickly enough to address harvest for this season, and therefore are not being considered at this time.

You can review these options and share your feedback via this Google survey by June 19, 2022.