Virginia Regulators Uphold Ban on Winter Crab Dredge Fishery

NORFOLK, Va. — Virginia’s winter crab dredge fishery will remain closed for the 2024-25 season, following a 6-1 vote by the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) on October 28. The decision came after a public hearing, preserving a ban that has been in place since 2008 and continuing to protect the Bay’s fragile blue crab population.

The winter dredge fishery, which targets predominantly female blue crabs as they lie semi-dormant on the Chesapeake Bay’s floor, has long been a point of contention. Using heavy metal traps dragged behind boats, watermen scoop up lethargic crabs, a method widely criticized for its environmental impact.

The renewed debate over winter dredging began earlier this year, when James “J.C.” Hudgins, president of the Virginia Watermen’s Association and a member of the Virginia Crab Management Advisory Committee (CMAC), proposed guidelines for a limited experimental fishery. Hudgins argued that reopening the fishery could provide essential winter jobs for watermen and supply local crab-picking houses, which have struggled to stay open during the off-season.

In June, CMAC voted 10-4 to send the proposal to the VMRC, which then narrowly voted 5-4 in favor of reopening the fishery under strict conditions, including a 1.5 million-pound harvest cap and limiting participation to eight to ten boats. The approval, however, triggered backlash from Maryland officials and environmental groups like the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, who expressed concerns about the long-term health of the blue crab population.

The 2008 ban was initially put in place following alarming survey results that showed a sharp decline in blue crab numbers, from a peak of 852 million crabs in 1992 to just 251 million in 2007. The closure was part of a baywide initiative to reduce the blue crab harvest by 34%, with Virginia’s dredge fishery ban accounting for half of the state’s reduction.

While the Bay’s blue crab population has shown signs of gradual recovery, with an estimated 317 million crabs recorded last winter, concerns remain. The CMAC recommended in August, by an 8-5 vote, that the VMRC wait until the next baywide stock assessment in 2026 before reconsidering the fishery’s reopening.

Despite VMRC’s decision to keep the fishery closed, commissioners are legally required to revisit the issue each year, a policy mandated by a court order obtained by fishery proponents. The VMRC staff has been instructed to continue developing a regulatory framework for potential future dredging, leaving the debate far from settled.