The blue crab, a highly important species in the Chesapeake Bay, has suffered a decline in population over the past years. New regulations, such as reducing the female harvest by approximately one-third, have helped, but the population is still recovering slowly. Romuald Lipcius and Jian Shen of Virginia Institute of Marine Science will study whether or not there is a homogeneous population of blue crab across the Bay as current management strategies assume. They will measure spatial variation in demographic rates throughout the Bay and create a model with their results. The results can be used to guide both ongoing and future stock assessment.
Project Details: Romuald Lipcius, Jian Shen (VIMS). Spatial Variation in Demography of the Blue Crab in Chesapeake Bay.
