GLOUCESTER POINT, Va. — For the first time on record, adult stone crabs have been caught in the Chesapeake Bay, according to researchers at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS).
Stone crabs are native to Florida and other southern waters and have historically been observed only as far north as North Carolina. VIMS Professor Rom Lipcius, who also teaches at William & Mary’s Batten School, is currently holding four adult stone crabs collected this summer by a Virginia waterman.
While stone crab larvae have previously been detected in the Bay—likely carried north by ocean currents—this marks the first verified record of adults surviving in Chesapeake Bay waters.
Researchers are urging help from commercial crabbers, homeowners with crab pots, and Bay users across both Virginia and Maryland. Anyone who observes or catches a stone crab in Virginia waters should contact Lipcius at [email protected] or (804) 684-7330 for potential pick-up and documentation…