A 30-day closed season for crabbing begins today in the Bayou State. Crustacean Program Manager for Marine Fisheries at LDWF Jeff Marx says the crab population is down in Louisiana. He says they’re hoping this ban will help boost the crab population because we’re not seeing as many crabs as usual.
“The biomass of crabs that are out in Louisiana waters was at a low level, and also fishing mortality, people catching crabs, is very high,” Marx said.
Marx says this is one of the slower periods in the year for crabbing, which is why they chose this time of year to implement the ban. He notes that the 30-day ban will be in effect beginning the third Monday of February every year until 2019. He says there is also a year round ban on harvesting immature female crabs.
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