Questions on crabbing regulations

j_h_smith · May 11, 2019

Just to let everyone know, it would seem the Blue Crabs have dug out of the mud in the Chesapeake Bay. Maybe not out of MD waters, but possibly VA. We got 2 dozen crabs from Conrads on Joppa Road today. They were mud crabs. Still had the stained shells, but they were good tasting. Nothing like getting your first helping of Blue Crab from the Chesapeake.

Even better, the oldest son paid for them!!!

aray · May 11, 2019

j_h_smith said:
Just for informational purposes, this is a sponge Blue Crab.

Wow; can't miss that! Thanks for the picture.

ted76 · May 12, 2019

j_h_smith said:
Just for informational purposes, this is a sponge Blue Crab.

That is 1 - 2 million eggs there, too bad only a couple will reach reproduction age, but other things have to eat also.

aray · May 13, 2019

Turtle Excluders

OK next question if I could:

I went back to Bass Pro and decided to pick up one typical non-collapsible crab pot. I got it home tonight and was looking at the mandatory turtle excluders. But there's something about them I don't understand.

The maximum size on the excluders is 1.75"x4.75". Yet the male crab minimum size limits are 5" now and after July 15th 5.25". How the heck is a legal sized crab going to fit through the turtle excluders? They're smaller than he needs to be.

What am I missing?

As always, thanks in advance to you who are more experienced than am I.

j_h_smith · May 14, 2019

Crabs walk sideways.

Mack C-85 · May 14, 2019

aray said:
OK next question if I could:

I went back to Bass Pro and decided to pick up one typical non-collapsible crab pot. I got it home tonight and was looking at the mandatory turtle excluders. But there's something about them I don't understand.

The maximum size on the excluders is 1.75"x4.75". Yet the male crab minimum size limits are 5" now and after July 15th 5.25". How the heck is a legal sized crab going to fit through the turtle excluders? They're smaller than he needs to be.

What am I missing?

As always, thanks in advance to you who are more experienced than am I.

Not familiar with a "turtle excluder", but I beleive crab pots have to have "cull ports" to allow undersize crabs to escape?

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aray · May 14, 2019

j_h_smith said:
Crabs walk sideways.

Makes sense now. I should have realized that last night. Duh. :sad20:

However it seems to me that due to the small size, front to back, I'm still going to be excluding jumbo crabs, if not perhaps also large. Guess I'm going to be stuck with mediums, unless I snag the bigger boys in the collapsible traps.

I do understand the value of the excluders though. Hey, I like turtles as well as the next guy! I just wonder about the dimensions they selected.

Mack C-85 · May 14, 2019

aray said:
Makes sense now. I should have realized that last night. Duh.

However it seems to me that due to the small size, front to back, I'm still going to be excluding jumbo crabs, if not perhaps also large. Guess I'm going to be stuck with mediums, unless I snag the bigger boys in the collapsible traps.

I do understand the value of the excluders though. Hey, I like turtles as well as the next guy! I just wonder about the dimensions they selected.

OK, so I had to look....

[YT]IJdHdwikFLU[/YT]

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Devonian · May 14, 2019

I thought you had to have a commercial license or waterfront property to use a crab pot?

hooligan82 · May 14, 2019

aray said:
OK next question if I could:

I went back to Bass Pro and decided to pick up one typical non-collapsible crab pot. I got it home tonight and was looking at the mandatory turtle excluders. But there's something about them I don't understand.

The maximum size on the excluders is 1.75"x4.75". Yet the male crab minimum size limits are 5" now and after July 15th 5.25". How the heck is a legal sized crab going to fit through the turtle excluders? They're smaller than he needs to be.

What am I missing?

As always, thanks in advance to you who are more experienced than am I.

You mentioned crabbing from a boat in your first post. Unless regs have changed you cannot legally use a pot from a boat with a recreational license.

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Mack C-85 · May 14, 2019

hooligan82 said:
You mentioned crabbing from a boat in your first post. Unless regs have changed you cannot legally use a pot from a boat with a recreational license.

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deleted miss read post.

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aray · May 14, 2019

Devonian said:
I thought you had to have a commercial license or waterfront property to use a crab pot?

hooligan82 said:
You mentioned crabbing from a boat in your first post. Unless regs have changed you cannot legally use a pot from a boat with a recreational license.

There are two ways to read legal documents. The first way is that things are allowed unless explicitly prohibited. The other way is that things are prohibited unless explicitly allowed.

I took the first interpretation since there were no prohibitions against using pots from boats. However since you raised the point, I more carefully reread the regulations and I feat y'all are right. In hindsight, every time the regs mention pots, it is in the context of waterfront owners.

Darn. That will reduce my catch. Looks like I'll be returning the pot to Bass Pro, and relying only on the collapsible traps.

Thanks for the warning guys. Don't want a $1K fine or anything.

hobiecat590 · May 14, 2019

Devonian said:
I thought you had to have a commercial license or waterfront property to use a crab pot?

2 pots per waterfront house. Waterfront property owners are supposed to let the state know they are crabbing but I had never heard of this reg until recently "AND WILL NOT COMPLY" (sarc). Since I have not been busted yet, perhaps DNR does not what to piss off taxpayers who pay a disproportionately high tax rate. :-)

If anyone wants some (6+) collaspable crab traps, PM me and they are yours. 'neckin" is a lot more fun for the kids especially when there is a big snapping turtle on the end of the line. I also catch more on string then in those traps.

Questions on crabbing regulations

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