Claws are out over proposed changes to NC blue crab fishery

North Carolina's blue crabs could soon be the latest species in the state to face harvest cutbacks and other limiting restrictions over concerns about the declining health of the state's most valuable commercial fishery.

But crabbers are going to make sure the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission noisily hears their concerns before any additional steps to limit seasons and daily catch hauls are implemented.

Still, officials with the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries have said sampling programs and landing data continue to show worrisome declining trends. Agency biologist Robert Corbett Jr., who also is the department's co-lead on blue crabs, told the commission at its Aug. 20 meeting that neighboring states are showing similar negative long-term directions with their blue crab fisheries.

"Landings of all blue crabs have declined since the record high of 67 million pounds back in 1996," he said of the N.C. crab fishery. "In 2022, the harvest dropped to the lowest in the time series, with only 9.5 million pounds harvested.

"There are strong indicators the stock isn't recovering and won't meet statutory required rebuilding schedules."

The Tar Heel State is fourth in the nation for crab landings, behind Louisiana, Maryland and Virginia.

What's happened?

Well, as of right now, nothing.

The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission was expected to consider adopting management strategies developed as part of the Blue Crab Fishery Management Plan Amendment 3. The idea is to  amend  the blue crab fishery management plan, which aims to create a sustainable harvest by May 2030.

But just a few days before the commission's Nov. 19-20 meeting in Wrightsville Beach, Commission Chairman Sammy Corbett removed the proposal from the meeting agenda. According to comments at the meeting, Corbett said he didn't think it was the right time to bring the proposal before the commission.

"This was the chair's decision and the chair's only," he said after some commission members pressed him for an explanation as to what was behind his decision.

The major management recommendations the commission would have considered are:

• A year-round statewide prohibition on crab trawling statewide year-round.

• 30-bushel crab trip limit from September through December north of the Emerald Isle high-rise bridge.

• 15-bushel crab trip limit from September through December south of the bridge.

According to crabbers and fishing associations, most commercial crabbers bring in more than 50 bushels a day during the height of the season, which is in the fall. Although the season runs year-round, there are seasonal size and catch limits for mature and female crabs.

HOOK, LINE AND SINKING: What's the future of NC's commercial fishing industry?

What is Amendment 3?

Amendment 3 was adopted in 2020 "to end overfishing and achieve sustainable harvest in the blue crab fishery."

The blue crab management plan was first adopted in 1998, and has been amended twice since then − most recently in 2013.

But according to marine fisheries and despite a decade-long stock rebuilding period mandated by the N.C. General Assembly, there is little evidence that current management actions have proven successful.

What are crabbers' concerns?

The issue largely centers around questions about the data used to measure the health of the blue crab fishery and how it's collected by marine fisheries − including a lack of information on the impact of recreational crabbers on the fishery.

Due to outside pressures and a lack of funding to keep marine fisheries' research vessel operational, the division has begun the process of developing new ways to provide an updated stock status, with a review of the blue crab fishery scheduled to begin as early as next year.

But Corbett said new management techniques and options could show that the crab fishery is in worst shape than researchers now believe.

Still, without an updated stock assessment − the most recent one was done last decade, and marine fisheries scrapped a 2023 assessment update over concerns about the data's reliability, crabbers say it's unfair to ask them to take a financial hit that could ripple through small coastal communities of fishermen and crab houses that have few other economic opportunities.

Along with crabbers reaching out to the commission and marine fisheries on their own, several fishing and fishermen associations also have spoken up against the proposed cutbacks.

Dare and other counties along the coast, especially around the Pamlico and Albermarle sounds where any additional restrictions are likely to have the most impact, also have passed resolutions against the proposed crab harvest restrictions.

How are N.C. crabbers doing?

Like the rest of the state's commercial fishing industry, it's an aging and shrinking profession that faces many challenges.

In North Carolina, the number of participants in the commercial fishing industry has dropped from more than 5,000 in 2000 to fewer than 2,200 in 2023 − a decrease of 57%. Other  state statistics  show the number of commercial permits and licenses issued by the state has decreased from more than 27,000 to around 19,300 in 2023. The number of fish dealer licenses also are falling as the industry shrinks, down 23% from 850 in 2000 to 655 in 2023.

According to a  2017 study  by the  N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries , the average age of a commercial fishermen in North Carolina was 52, with the vast majority of them male and white. Commercial fishermen also had lived an average of 37 years in their current community, with 45% still living where they were born.

The demographic challenges come as a slew of other factors also impact the industry. They include rising operational costs, the declining health of many fisheries, the changing face of coastal towns as more retirees and property investors move in, increased foreign competition, and even climate change.

Increased bureaucratic red tape and a perceived shifting of the power structure from commercial to recreational fishermen also is a common refrain you will hear from commercial fishermen and their supporters.

Statistics from marine fisheries also show the shrinking number of crabbers bringing in fewer crabs, although the fishery still remains the state's most valuable. According to the agency, nearly 9.1 million pounds of hard blue crabs were caught in 2022, worth $13.5 million. That's about half the number of crabs caught in 2017, and roughly 13% of those caught in the record year of 1996.

Reporter Gareth McGrath can be reached at GMcGrath@usatodayco.com or @GarethMcGrathSN on X/Twitter. This story was produced with financial support from the Green South Foundation, the Prentice Foundation and the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. The USA TODAY Network maintains full editorial control of the work.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: NC blue crab fishery changes proposed, concerns raised