CAMBRIDGE, Md.- Watermen on Maryland's Midshore are catching fewer crabs this year than in the past.
Jack Brooks, a co-owner at J.M.Clayton company in Cambridge, said there are a number of reasons crabbers are not having such good luck. One reason he points out is Hurricane Sandy, which killed a large number of crabs when it blew through in October 2012. He said that is not the only reason, though.
"There's just an overabundance of striped bass, puppy drum, red drum, right now that are just feeding on these small crabs." he said. "It's evident when you cut one of them open and in the stomach you see all these little crabs anywhere from a half inch up to an inch."
Brooks said protected fish, like striped bass, need to be fished more in order to even out the ecosystem. A spokesperson from Maryland's Department of Natural Resources said they have not received reports of striped bass being the problem, but did point to a Winter Dredge Report, in which the department said Red Drum fish would be an issue this season.
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