The Good News, maybe

[done workin]

Just got back from 1 1/2 weeks at the ocean and I noticed something very positive that I have not seen the last few years down there.

We stayed at Frontiertown between 7/4 and 7/11 and while out fishing and clamming I noticed more small 2" crabs than I can remember seeing the last 4 years down there. When I was walking in the grass beds clamming (I only rake the sandy areas, not the grass) I couldn't go 5 steps in the grass without seeing or avoiding small crabs.

While drifting at times I could see them swimming in the current.

Again, I say I saw more than I have seen the past few years, maybe the last few combined.

Perhaps that is the real beginning of the females that were saved last year.

Chris

[crabby and son]

I have seen the same in the South River. Can't tell you how many small crabs we dumped or swam through the traps. Many big females also. It's got to help saving the females.How was the clamming?....Gary

[rgminer]

There is no restriction on keeping females in the coastal bays in MD. it's good to see the small crabs all over though.

[crabby and son]

There is no restriction on keeping females in the coastal bays in MD. it's good to see the small crabs all over though.

The females should be released there too. It works...........Gary

[Burchbeer]

Plenty of small males and inmature females in The Miles.

[rgminer]

The females should be released there too. It works...........Gary

OH I agree, but many don't. And because there are a lot more females than males, the comms catch are mainly made up of females and they don't have the restrictions either I don't believe. The Chinco bay is full of tiny crabs this year. They been tearing up my pot baits. it's a good sign and I am happy to let them eat.

[MarkTakacs]

I have a hard time believing that the females I throw back are not picked up by comms on either side of me.

Not only because I throw them back and they don't .......but because they are out there almost every day...........the girlies just don't have a chance!

Mark

[crabby and son]

I say the same thing about small bucks but sometimes they make it to grow up.:thumbup:....Gary

[rgminer]

I am not sure about the Chesapeake Bay because I don't crab there until August or September most years But I have noticed this year a significant uptick in the small crabs in the coastal bays. My bulkhead and boat lift have been covered in small, 1-2" crabs this year. And when I go crabbing I have had as many as 5 undersized crabs in my traps at one time. this is a good thing, as next year they will be legal.

[temgejr]

Just got back from 1 1/2 weeks at the ocean and I noticed something very positive that I have not seen the last few years down there.

We stayed at Frontiertown between 7/4 and 7/11 and while out fishing and clamming I noticed more small 2" crabs than I can remember seeing the last 4 years down there. When I was walking in the grass beds clamming (I only rake the sandy areas, not the grass) I couldn't go 5 steps in the grass without seeing or avoiding small crabs.

While drifting at times I could see them swimming in the current.

Again, I say I saw more than I have seen the past few years, maybe the last few combined.

Perhaps that is the real beginning of the females that were saved last year.

Chris


Frontiertown is great! Glad to hear there has been some improvement!

[Bryansfish]

I have also noticed alot of small crabs around my parent house on the Westerbranch section of the Elizabeth River. I just don't get why keeping females is not illegal. If you want a good example of how this would help just watch the Deadlest Catch. The captins are saying that crabbing is getting better and keeping females have been illegal there for years.

[FishFarm]

There is another way to look at the abundance of small crabs. Maybe we have been getting that many every year but there have been more predataors in the past. Maybe all the small crabs is a sign that we have overfished some predator population. Seems to me that if the small crabs are this plentiful something would be eating them.