CHESAPEAKE BAY STATE, USA — The blue crab population in the Chesapeake Bay may have seen a decrease but it remains healthy and not overfished, according to the annual Blue Crab Advisory Report.
The population decreased from 594 million in 2019 to 405 million in 2020.
The estimated population of 141 million female blue crabs in 2020 was a drop from 191 million in 2019.
The juvenile blue crab population was estimated to be 185 million. The crabs will grow to harvestable size in the fall.
The number from 2020 is down from 324 million in 2019, which is below the long-term average of 224 million.
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