May 21st, 2023 by WCBC Radio

A small uptick in the blue crab population looks promising for the Chesapeake Bay, but conservationists are still cautious about the rebound of the Maryland’s valuable crustacean.  Last year saw an all-time low in the crab population but this year’s Dredge Report from the Maryland DNR shows a 40% increase overall.  The tender points in the report are the low numbers of male crabs due to overfishing and the appetite of the invasive blue catfish.  Officials meet next month to set new regulations to support the crab population.