Maryland License-Free Fishing Days Offered in June and July | Southern Maryland News Net smnewsnet.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from smnewsnet.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The best thing you can do when you come across young wildlife is to leave it alone.
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control has a saying: If you care, leave them there.
Taking a wild animal from the wild not only decreases its chances of survival, but can be dangerous. While some young animals appear to be abandoned, they usually are not, with their mothers nearby watching over them and waiting for you to move on, DNREC said in a statement. Many wildlife species, including white-tailed deer, leave their young while they forage for food, visiting only a few times a day, with the young animal’s natural instinct to lie quietly to protect them from predators.
Chesapeake Bay blue crab survey shows mixed results
From Staff Reports
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The annual survey of blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay showed a mixed bag, with the population of mature female crabs up while juvenile crab numbers declined to the lowest level since the survey began in 1990.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources announced the results of the 2021 Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey, a cooperative effort with the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, which annually estimates the number of blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay.
The survey results showed that the number of spawning age mature female crabs increased from 141 million in 2020 to 158 million in 2021. This year’s survey estimate is above the long-term average of 126 million spawning age female crabs, DNR said in a release.
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The Chesapeake Bay blue crab population is down overall according to new numbers released Friday, however, Mike Luisi with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources says there is good news.
“We have a decent abundance of female crabs, which is important, Luisi said. The 2021 results showed that the spawning age female abundance increased from 141 million spawning age female crabs in 2020 to 158 million spawning age female crabs, reads the announcement from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
The number of male and juvenile crabs are down. The survey from Virginia and Maryland scientists says there are 282 million blue crabs in the bay, an overall 30% drop from 2020.
Chesapeake Bay blue crab population down 30%, survey finds; catch limits could be coming dailypress.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dailypress.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.