There, you will find clear images that differentiate a sally, sook, and jimmy blue crab. I highly recommend you check out ’s article on Crab Identification. I wish I had pictures to better explain this, but I do not. Well, what does that mean? How do you know a female crab is mature and not egg-bearing?
#MARYLAND BLUE CRAB LICENSE#
Only individuals with a commercial crabbing license may keep mature female crabs, as long as they are not egg-bearing. In Maryland, you can keep both hard shell and soft shell blue crabs that are larger than the current set minimum size. Each one will be in different stages of his or her crustacean life, but which ones can you keep? If the crabbing day goes well, you’ll pull up lots of crabs in your traps. Maryland Blue Crab Legal Size Regulations Type of Blue Crab April 1 – July 14 July 15 – December 31 Hardshell Male Blue Crab 5 inches 5 1/4 inches Soft-shell Blue Crab 3½ inches 3½ inches Peeler Crab 3¼ inches 3½ inches Mature Female Crab No minimum size No minimum size Source: Maryland Blue Crab Regulations – Maryland DNR Which crabs can you keep? You want to measure your crabs from the end of each point on their top shell. When you go crabbing, always bring a ruler with you to measure your crabs. If you catch a blue crab and it’s too small, you must throw it back.
To preserve the blue crab population, state officials set measurements for what crabs you can keep. 11 Season and Time for Catching Crabs – Maryland DNR Time of Day Crabbing Regulations Location Time of Year Restricted Time to go Crabbing Main Chesapeake Bay May – September 5pm – 1/2 before sunrise Main Chesapeake Bay April, October, November, December 5pm – 1/2 after sunrise Rivers, Creeks, Tidal Estuaries May – September Sunset and 1/2 before sunrise Rivers, Creeks, Tidal Estuaries April, October, November, December Sunset and 1/2 after sunrise You may also go crabbing on a Wednesday if you plan on going crabbing from your own a private property OR with a string, some bait, and a hand line.Īnother thing to look out for is time of day restrictions.ĭepending on the time of the year, you are allowed to go crabbing for certain hours of the day. The only exception to this rule is if a state or federal holiday falls on a Wednesday or Thursday. In Maryland, you are allowed to set up traps or catch blue crabs every day of the week except for Wednesday. Ready to go crabbing everyday? 7 days a week? I wish! Location Legal Crabbing Dates Atlantic Ocean Area April 1 – December 31 Chesapeake Bay Area April 1 – December 15 Source: Maryland Blue Crab Regulations – Maryland DNR Time of Day & Week Guidelines
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