The Maryland Blue Crab is back, potentially opening the door to changes in how many can be caught and efforts to clean up the Chesapeake Bay.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources said that its winter survey found a record level of spawning females. In fact, they found more than are even considered healthy for the habitat.
"The healthy abundance of adult crabs in the Chesapeake Bay bodes well for crabbers in the first half of the 2017 crabbing season," said the department.
"The overall population of crabs was estimated at 455 million, the 11th highest level recorded by the survey. The spawning female stock increased 31 percent, from 194 million to 254 million, exceeding the healthy target level of 215 million for the first time since 2010," said the department.
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