💨 Abstract

North Carolina is considering restrictions to reduce its annual blue crab harvest by 21% due to overfishing concerns. Historically, the state contributed 22% of the national catch, but numbers have fallen drastically since 1996—from 65 million to just 9 million pounds in 2022. The state's proposed changes include seasonal closures and trip limits aimed at protecting mature female crabs.

Courtesy: Neal Augenstein