Citing a worrisome crab population drop in the Bay, Maryland and Virginia officials have instituted new catch limits on crabs for both commercial and recreational harvesters.

The drop in the Chesapeake Bay’s signature crustacean, the blue crab, has triggered new catch limits. From coverage on the Bay Journal website:

In Maryland, tighter restrictions on both commercial and recreational crabbing take effect July 1, with watermen facing first-ever limits on the number of male crabs they can harvest in August and September. The Department of Natural Resources also reduced the allowable commercial harvest of female crabs by up to 29%, depending on the month and type of crabbing gear used, through the end of the season on Nov. 30.

Recreational crabbers also will be cut back to only one bushel per day by boat, down from two bushels daily.

Read more details on both states’ actions in the Bay Journal coverage.