The December 10 edition of Science highlights the remarkable resurgence of the Chesapeake Bay blue crab population, elevating a regional success story to the national stage. In the article, UMCES Chesapeake Biological Laboratory fisheries biologist Dr. Tom Miller explains how the most basic of fisheries management measures can work, provided policymakers have the courage to give them a try.
The article, written by Christopher Pala, details how blue crab populations had reached alarmingly low levels in 1997, and how efforts to reduce the harvest of pregnant females were critical to bringing the species back.
After the management agencies enacted what Miller calls “the kindergarten solution” the population of female crabs increased by 200 percent over the first two years.
Related links:
“Chesapeake Crabs: Engineering a Rebound.” Science Magazine. December 10, 2010.
