A Chesapeake Success Story
By Matt J. Weiss, April 18, 2009 @ 01:00 AM (EST)
Source: Washingtonpost.com
The number of blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay increased about 43 percent last year, according to survey data released yesterday, and scientists said it was probably a sign that measures taken to protect the beleaguered bay icon are working for now.
A baywide survey this winter, in which scientists counted crabs by dredging them out of their sandy burrows, yielded a population estimate of just more than 400 million. That was up from 280 million last winter.
Blue crabs are a species prone to explosive swings in population, so there is no guarantee that the growth will continue. But scientists and state officials said they were encouraged by the results, especially by the near-doubling in the number of adult females.
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