Blue Claw Crabs represent a significant fishing interest in the Eastern Seaboard. Blue Crabs make their home in the salty bay waters of the Chesapeake and the Hudson River, but are very sensitive to the environmental shifts in recent decades.

Crab populations have plummeted since the 1990's due to overfishing, habitat destruction and rising water temperatures.

The Maryland and Virginia DNRs have taken initiatives to sustain populations, including increasing the legal size of crabs you can keep, suspending dredge fishing, and easing river silt deposits.