The debate over North Carolina’s blue crab fishery is heating up as state regulators float new restrictions to stem what they call a long-developing population decline. But commercial crabbers say that the state’s data is outdated and doesn’t reflect what they’re seeing on the water.
At the center of the issue is a proposed revision to the state’s Blue Crab Fishery Management Plan. Officials with the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) say catch numbers have been falling for more than a decade, raising red flags about the future of North Carolina’s most valuable fishery.
In 1996, Tar Heel crabbers landed more than 65 million pounds of blue crab valued at nearly $40 million. By 2022, that figure had dropped to a historic low of 9.1 million pounds, according to DMF data. While 2023 saw a slight rebound to 15.3 million pounds, the trendline remains well below historical averages. According to StarNews Online and reporter Gareth McGrath, the proposed measures could reduce crab landings by 21 percent compared to recent years…