Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Blue Crab topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Division to pursue adaptive-management measures for blue crab after assessment concerns
Summary
Staff told commissioners the blue crab assessment update had model issues and cannot be used to set harvest reductions; the division will use Amendment 3’s adaptive-management pathway and solicit stakeholder input on quantifiable measures to protect spawning females and reduce mortality.
Division staff reported that a 2024 update to the blue crab stock assessment raised configuration and model concerns that preclude using it for management advice. Because of those technical issues, staff said they will pursue quantitative management measures through the Amendment 3 adaptive-management process, rather than relying on the problematic assessment.
McClain Seward told the commission that staff and stakeholders had identified several candidate quantifiable options to evaluate — including changes that would reduce harvest of mature females and sponge crabs, and timing adjustments for closures that protect females prior to spawning. He said the division will conduct outreach and further analysis, and plans to bring formal adaptive-management proposals to the commission in spring/summer 2025.
The commission encouraged extensive stakeholder input, and staff asked commercial and recreational crabbers across the coast to provide practical suggestions and local observations to help target potential measures.
No regulatory action was taken; the division will return with proposed quantifiable measures for a vote after the public and advisory-committee process.
