USA: Winter crabbing strained Chesapeake Bay’s blue crab population

Blue crabs are perhaps the most iconic species in the Chesapeake Bay. The crustacean, which is actually blue, is a favorite among seafood lovers, but pollution, habitat loss and harvest pressure are all threats to its abundance. “Years ago, we used to catch what we could sell,” says waterman Billy Rice. “Now we sell everything we can catch.” Rice, now in his 60s, has been crabbing in the Chesapeake since 1968. Tensions over the health of the Chesapeake Bay and its wildlife have been simmering for a while, but now they’re bubbling over. Earlier this summer, a group of Virginia watermen voted to explore the possibility of year-round crab fishery, but conservationists worry what that could mean for the health of the Bay. Five years ago, the blue crab population was estimated to be about 600 million. Now officials say it’s closer to half that number. On an August morning, Billy Rice and his son Rocky are out on a boat in the Potomac River, which flows into the Chesapeake. Rocky lifts ...