Chesapeake Bay blue crab populations indicate healthier watershed

• Katie Knol
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  Katie Knol is WITF's General Assignment Reporter & Host.
  
  She graduated from Penn State University in 2024, earning bachelor's degrees in journalism and political science. She has also worked at WPSU, the News Lab at Penn State, The Daily Collegian and CommRadio.

The Chesapeake Bay’s blue crab population is seeing some positive signs after hitting near-record lows last year, according to a Chesapeake Bay Foundation survey done in Virginia and Maryland.

Central Pennsylvania is part of the watershed, and the Susquehanna River is the largest source of freshwater to feed into the bay. Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Virginia Executive Director Chris Moore said even though the study didn’t focus on Pennsylvania, it still signals an improving environment up north.

“They really are our most iconic species when it comes to the Chesapeake Bay, and so having a healthier population of blue crabs is one indicator that the bay watershed as a whole is doing a bit better,” he said.

The survey estimated 349 million total blue crabs in 2026 — a 46% increase from last year’s 238 million. 2025’s estimate was the second-lowest recorded since the survey began in 1990.

Most of that growth can be attributed to the juvenile and adult male populations. Adult female crabs are continuing to decline and remain well below average. According to a news release, female crab numbers are just above the overfished threshold used to determine the health of the population and the need for conservation efforts.

“While the increased numbers of juveniles and males are encouraging, the downward trend in the Bay’s adult female blue crab population is still concerning,” the release stated. “Because females can bear millions of eggs, they are key to increasing the overall population.”

Numbers were found through a dredge survey conducted over the winter, during which teams of scientists pull a dredge device with a boat, lift it to count the crabs and use a mathematical formula to estimate populations. They took samples from over 1,500 locations.

Moore said increased numbers, especially juveniles, could also mean lower prices for people looking to get their seafood fix.

“Those are the crabs that will grow fast, and they will be available to our fisheries by mid to late summer and especially into the fall, so this hopefully means a robust harvest for folks and therefore, a little relief in prices,” he said.

Harrisburg-based retailer Harbour House Crabs is currently selling a dozen medium male hard shell crabs for around $99.

But the study shows the population still has room to grow.

Things that affect blue crab populations include water quality and habitat, Moore said, so Central Pennsylvanians have a role to play in keeping the watershed healthy. He said people should consider testing their lawns and planting trees, which can help absorb and filter polluted rain runoff and help stabilize streambanks.