2023 Winter Dredge Blue Crab Survey

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Blue crabs 2023 - 1 A researcher holds a blue crab picked up during the 2023 Winter Dredge survey. The crabs are returned to the bay after being measured. (Courtesy of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation)

The Virginia Institute of Marine Science and Maryland Department of Natural Resources conduct an annual survey of the population of blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. Covering more than 1,500 locations, the winter dredge survey has been one of the most comprehensive studies of any species in the Bay since it launched in 1990. It is conducted jointly by Maryland and Virginia from December through March.