There’s been another decline in the blue crab population.
A new survey found that the numbers have dropped by nearly one-fifth for the second year in a row.
The Salisbury Daily Times reports that the survey was conducted by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.
It estimated that there was an 18 percent drop from last year down to around 372 million this year.
Genine McClair, manager of the Blue Crab Program, told the paper that the harsh weather along with the scarcity of young crabs last year accounted for much of the low population numbers.
The Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab Advisory Report will base it’s assessment on the new survey.
