Update from NJDEP re: crabs

All, sometimes there are questions on the forum as to where it is safe to harvest blue crabs. Please see below from NJDEP. They just released this and it outlines problems in the Newark Bay, Passaic River, Raritan Bay, etc.

STATEWIDE ESTUARINE & MARINE WATERS
(All coastal waters except those under Waterbody Specific Advisories)

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SPECIES GENERAL POPULATION
EAT NO MORE THAN: (2, 3) HIGH-RISK INDIVIDUAL (1)EAT NO MORE THAN: (2, 3)
STRIPED BASS One meal per month Do Not Eat
BLUEFISH
(greater than 6 lbs/24 inches) Six meals per year
Revised - June 2009
BLUEFISH
(less than 6lbs/24 inches) One meal per month
AMERICAN EEL Four meals per year
AMERICAN LOBSTER Do Not Eat the Green Gland (a.k.a., Tomalley or Hepatopancreas)
ESTUARINE & MARINE WATERS
WATERBODY SPECIES GENERAL POPULATION
EAT NO MORE THAN HIGH-RISK INDIVIDUAL EAT NO MORE THAN
NEWARK BAY COMPLEX
Including Newark Bay, tidal
Hackensack River, Arthur
Kill, Kill Van Kull and tidal
tributaries. Blue Crab* Do not eat or harvest (5)
Striped Bass* Four meals per year Do not eat
American Eel* Do not eat
White Perch
White Catfish One meal per year
TIDAL PASSAIC RIVER
Dundee Dam to Newark Bayand tributaries.
All Fish & Shellfish* Do not eat
Blue Crab* Do not harvest, (4) Do not eat
HUDSON RIVER
Downstream of NY-NJ
border including the Upper
New York Bay Striped Bass* Four meals per year Do not eat
American Eel* One meal per year
White Perch
Winter Flounder One meal per month
White Catfish Do not eat
Blue Crab One meal of 7 crabs per week
Do not eat green gland (hepatopancreas);
Discard cooking liquid
RARITAN BAY
COMPLEX
Includes the Raritan Bay,
tidal Raritan River (to Rte. 1
bridge) and the tidal portions
of all tributaries. *See below for White Perch and White Catfish for the Raritan River and South River. American Lobster One meal per week
Do not eat green gland (hepatopancreas)
Discard cooking liquid
Weakfish One meal per month Do not eat
Striped Bass
Winter Flounder One meal per month
Porgy
American Eel One meal per year Do not eat
Summer Flounder One meal per week
White Perch (Raritan Bay) One meal per year Do not eat
Blue Crab One meal of 7 crabs per month
Do not eat green gland (hepatopancreas);
Discard cooking liquid
RARITAN RIVER upstream of Route 35 Bridge and South River (tidal portion) White Catfish Four meals per year Do not eat
White Perch
SANDY HOOK BAY & LOWER BAY Summer Flounder One meal per week
COASTAL TRIBUTARIES
Navesink River, Shrewsbury
River, Shark River, Toms
River & Mullica River. American Eel One meal per month
BARNEGAT BAY AT MANAHAWKIN BAY Weakfish One meal per week One meal per month
COASTAL WATERS
Atlantic Ocean from Sandy Hook to Sea Bright Summer Flounder One meal per week
ATLANTIC OCEAN
Sea Isle City to Cape May
Weakfish One meal per week One meal per month
LOWER (TIDAL)
DELAWARE RIVER
Trenton, NJ to PA/DE line,
including all tributaries to the
head of tide. Largemouth Bass No restrictions One meal per week
Hybrid Striped Bass
American eel One meal per year Do not eat
Channel Catfish
White Catfish One meal per month
Striped Bass Four meals per year
White Perch
DELAWARE RIVER
ESTUARY- DE/NJ/PA
border to C&D Canal All finfish Do not eat
DELAWARE ESTUARY &
BAY
C&D Canal to the mouth of
Delaware Bay Bluefish Do not eat fish larger than 6 lbs or 24 inches Do not eat
One meal per year for fish less than 6lbs or less than 24 inches
Weakfish One meal per week One meal per month
Striped Bass One meal per year Do not eat
White perch
American eel
Channel catfish
White catfish
DELAWARE BAY
TRIBUTARIES American eel One meal per month Four meals per year
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(1) High-risk individuals include infants, children, pregnant women, nursing mothers and women of childbearing age.
(2) One meal is defined as an eight-ounce serving
(3) Eat only the fillet portions of the fish. Use proper trimming techniques to remove fat, and cooking methods that
allow juices to drain from the fish (e.g., baking, broiling, frying, grilling, and steaming). See text for full
description.
(4) Sunfish includes bluegill, pumpkinseed, and redbreast sunfish.
(5) No harvest means no taking or attempting to take any blue crabs from these waters.
Note: Not all species were found or analyzed in all water bodies, or inadequate data were available to list some
species.
(P) = Pinelands Area
* Selling any of these species from designated water bodies is prohibited in New Jersey.
NOTE: To reduce your exposure, eat those fish with the lowest meal restrictions. Do not combine meal restrictions. (For example, If you eat multiple species or catch fish from more than one area, the recommended guidelines for different species and different locations should not be combined.)

Office of Science
Dr. Gary A. Buchanan, Manager

Mailing Address:
Mail code 428-01, P.O. Box 420
P.O. Box 420
Trenton, NJ 0862
Office Location:
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Phone: (609) 984-6070
Fax: (609) 292-7340

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