Scientists are turning to hatchery blue crabs to aid the declining blue crab fishery of the Chesapeake Bay. This year 7,000 tagged baby blue crabs will be released versus last years 23,000. The complete article can be read here: Program tagged to restock Chesapeake Bay
The hatchery crabs will be scattered later this week in a cove off the York River, then monitored for weeks to come. Their tags, and pings they cause on metal detectors, will reveal their origins to scientists who find them in water samples or hiding in the mud. The tags also help scientists to learn about the crabs’ movements, their growth, their ages, their behavior.
Experts believe native crab stocks are fading because of myriad threats – overharvesting, poor water quality, pollution, predation from striped bass and other fish. Virginia has tried setting new regulations, limiting the hours that commercial crabbers can work on the water, and extending no-harvest sanctuaries.
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