MD Recreational Crab Rules Summary

[rockfish]

The following link is for a summary of RECREATIONAL crabbing rules for the state of MD.

http://dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/regulations/regindex.asp?page=bluecrab

Good luck all

[tattoo]

Thanks for posting. 

[Mr. Breeze]

BTT

[tugcapt]

The regs at the top are for Maryland Chesapeake Bay and tributaries only.  If you are crabbing Maryland's coastal bays, there are different regs, trotline length, etc.

Coastal regs: http://www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/crab/Oceanreccrabsummary.asp

[rockfish]

thanks for the correction, I keep forgetting there is another body of water to crab in Maryland 

[cja313]

CAN LICENSES BE PURCHASED ONLINE OR DOES ONE HAVE TO MAKE A TRIP TO A LOCATION AND PURCHASE IT IN PERSON?

[Dreampixels]

CAN LICENSES BE PURCHASED ONLINE OR DOES ONE HAVE TO MAKE A TRIP TO A LOCATION AND PURCHASE IT IN PERSON?

Online here is the link:

https://www4.wildlifelicense.com/md/custlkup.php

[crawdaddy]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong.  The way I see it there's no Female harvest this year including soft shells.  The way the regs are written they put "No Female Harvest" at the top but didn't take out the other referrals to females including those for soft shells.  I always follow the stricter rule if others are in question.  I don't want some Gung Ho EPO ruining my day on technicalities.

[Terrapin T]

I don't have the reg to post here Cdaddy but I'm pretty sure if you pull a doubler you can keep the female.  The reasoning behind that as I understand it is that once you dump her back in her weakened state, she'd as good as gone anyway without the male to protect her.

[tugcapt]

Says it right in the regs a few lines down

SEASON: April 1 - December 15
•The current license structure and fees are:
◦$5 for a resident
◦$10 for a non-resident
◦$15 Resident Recreational Crabbing Boat
•The $50 Chesapeake Bay Sport Fishing Decal is NOT valid as a Recreational Crabbing Boat License (though the puchaser of this decal is given one complimentary individual recreational crabbing license).
•Female Harvest is prohibited execept soft crabs.
•Closed Wednesdays - except handlines and dip nets or pots......blah blah blah blah....

[Terrapin T]

Thanks tugcapt.

[Mr. Breeze]

if you pull a doubler you can keep the female.  

If it's a soft crab, you can keep it, if it's a peeler, no

[crawdaddy]

......individual recreational crabbing license).
•Female Harvest is prohibited execept soft crabs.
•Closed Wednesdays - except handlines and dip nets or pots......blah blah blah blah....

Thanks for the clarification, I see what you mean.  Funny thing though I couldn't find the Year listed on the DNR Regs page.  It's bad how a lot of Internet info gets left on there that's out of date.

[tugcapt]

The individual laws and COMARS are linked at the bottom of the DNR page in PDF files, which is dated.

http://dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/regulations/regindex.asp?page=bluecrab

[crawdaddy]

Yea, I guess it would be too much trouble for them to put the Year right on the main web page.

[FMgonecrabin]

Having just read thru the crabbing rules summary at the DNR website as linked above,  I need a bit of clarification to see that I am reading the rules correctly.  If I am the licensed boat owner in the Chesapeake fisheries, the rules say the "catch limit" is one bushel of hard crabs.  The rules for the Atlantic Coastal fisheries specifies the "daily catch limit" is one bushel of hard crabs.  Do the rules differ from the Atlantic to the Chesapeake in that you are only allowed to catch one bushel of crabs in the Atlantic per day, but allowed to only have no more than one bushel on your boat at any one time in the Chesapeake areas?  This would seem to indicate that in the Chesapeake area I could go out and crab until I got one bushel and then take that bushel off the boat and return to the crab line and crab for more.  A direct quote from the DNR webpage contains this wording in the explanation of the crab regs, "Even if there are more than two recreationally licensed crabbers on board any boat, there cannot be more than two bushels on board at any one time."  Am I reading this correctly to the understanding of those of you who are more experienced and learned than I or am I reading this too tightly??  Thanks for your comments. 

[Dreampixels]

I bushel is the daily limit with one rec license on board the boat. 2 bushel with 2 licenses - no more then 2 no matter how many licenses.

[lreops]

I bushel is the daily limit with one rec license on board the boat. 2 bushel with 2 licenses - no more then 2 no matter how many licenses.

Unless you plan on being a poacher, like in the suggestion you made about returning to the dock and dropping off a bushel and then returning for more.

 

[Ronster]

 

[FMgonecrabin]

Unless you plan on being a poacher, like in the suggestion you made about returning to the dock and dropping off a bushel and then returning for more.

Just to make my intentions clear, I'm not plannng on doing anything illegal.  I'm just seeing a difference in the regulations between the regs for the Bay and for the Atlantic.  The Bay regs do not say the limit is a daily limit.  The Atlantic regs clearly do.  The comment about the Bay regs from the DNR site make reference to how many bushels you are allowed on the boat at one time.  That to me says that you are allowed to crab one bushel and off load it at a dock and then go get more.  I'm just trying to see if I'm reading the regs correctly or has this been addressed before.  One bushel is all I need on any given day, so I'm not looking at this for the purpose of gathering multiple bushels, just trying to understand the regs.  Who knows, there may be a day when I could use a second bushel.  Just asking a question.

[reds]

Just to make my intentions clear, I'm not plannng on doing anything illegal.  I'm just seeing a difference in the regulations between the regs for the Bay and for the Atlantic.  The Bay regs do not say the limit is a daily limit.  The Atlantic regs clearly do.  The comment about the Bay regs from the DNR site make reference to how many bushels you are allowed on the boat at one time.  That to me says that you are allowed to crab one bushel and off load it at a dock and then go get more.  I'm just trying to see if I'm reading the regs correctly or has this been addressed before.  One bushel is all I need on any given day, so I'm not looking at this for the purpose of gathering multiple bushels, just trying to understand the regs.  Who knows, there may be a day when I could use a second bushel.  Just asking a question.

You can also catch 2 rockfish, off load them at the dock and return to catch more. .....Until you get caught.

[Ronster]

The Bay regs do not say the limit is a daily limit. 

 

[tugcapt]

The link to the dnr is a "SUMMARY" of the rules.  If you go to the bottom of that page, there is a set of links to the full rules and COMARS, which are the detailed laws.

08.02.03.10

.10 Recreational Crabbing Catch and Possession Limits — Chesapeake Bay and its Tidal Tributaries.
A. A daily catch limit of a maximum of 2 bushels of male hard crabs, and 2 dozen soft crabs or male peeler crabs or a combination of 2 dozen soft crabs and male peeler crabs, may be caught and possessed if:

(1) Two or more individuals licensed to catch crabs for recreational purposes are on a boat, regardless of whether the boat is licensed by the Department as a recreational crabbing boat; or

(2) Two or more individuals are on a boat and one individual is licensed to catch crabs for recreational purposes and in addition the boat is licensed by the Department as a recreational crabbing boat.

B. A daily catch limit of a maximum of 1 bushel of male hard crabs, and 2 dozen soft crabs or male peeler crabs or a combination of 2 dozen soft crabs and male peeler crabs, may be caught and possessed if:

(1) An individual on shore is licensed to catch crabs for recreational purposes;

[FMgonecrabin]

Tugcapt.  thanks for the quotation!  I should have checked differences of the summary vs the COMAR regs.  It does make a difference sometimes.  And thanks for seeing the question as it was asked.  I think that clears it up very well in my mind.  One bushel a day in either Bay or Atlantic.

[soggybottomboyz]

Are the 2012 regs out yet?