‘Extremely distressing' Chesapeake Bay blue crab populations call for curtailing harvest, experts say
Each winter, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science at William & Mary cooperate on a dredge survey to record the population of blue crabs. During the survey, biologists use dredge equipment to capture, measure, record and release blue crabs at 1,500 sites throughout the Chesapeake Bay from December through March. VIMS covers the entire Virginia portion of Chesapeake Bay, sampling more than 750 stations.
This year, the survey found there are about 238 million blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay, a decrease from last year's 317 million crabs. The decline was seen in pretty much all demographics, including adult male crabs at 26 million, adult female crabs at 108 million, and juvenile crabs at 103 million. According to Chesapeake Progress, a tool created to track and report the bay's restoration, a sustainable population must have at least 72 million females, and the ultimate goal is 196 million females.
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Blue catfish are invasive to the Chesapeake Bay. By eating them, Virginians can help save the bay.
Crab populations can fluctuate since their success can depend on multiple factors. These include weather, the population of their predators, and the availability of their habitat, and often, populations can experience a 'boom-or-bust' cycle. Mandy Bromilow, blue crab program manager for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, said freezing temperatures earlier in the year likely had an impact on survivorship. She said this means crabs had a 'very high mortality rate,' and the results mark the second lowest population since the surveys began in 1990. The lowest population was reported in 2022.
Chris Moore, the Virginia executive director for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, said this year's blue crabs survey is 'extremely distressing.' According to the foundation, the loss of critical crab habitat like underwater grasses and the rise of invasive predators like blue catfish can threaten blue crabs. Other factors like climate change and polluted runoff can also be detrimental for young and spawning crabs.
'Blue crabs are a staple on our plates, in our water and in our culture,' Moore said. 'We must protect them in order to ensure their important role in the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem and preserve sustainable harvests for the most valuable commercial fishery in the bay. Given the continued decline of males in the population, Virginia should look for ways to reduce harvest of male crabs — which has been a growing part of our crab harvest.'
According to the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, located in Hampton, Virginia's adaptive approach to fisheries management 'continues to effectively address the highly dynamic nature of the Chesapeake Bay's blue crab population.' Last year, Virginia reduced its crab harvest from the bay by 18%, and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission reduced harvest by 14%. Maryland increased its 2024 harvest by 1%, and the combined result was a harvest reduction of about 7% across the bay.
'While this year's survey shows a decline in overall abundance, Virginia watermen have experienced good catch rates so far this season,' Jamie Green, a marine resources commissioner, said in a statement. 'These kinds of fluctuations are not unusual in a dynamic system like the Chesapeake Bay, and they reinforce why our adaptive management approach is so critical.'
Next year, Virginia and Maryland researchers will complete a comprehensive stock assessment for blue crabs — the first time since 2011. While the dredge survey provides a snapshot in time, the comprehensive stock assessment provides a more well-rounded view of what factors are affecting blue crabs using years of data. Once the assessment is complete, marine life managers then use that data to regulate harvest rates. The assessment will be completed by March 2026.
'With the results of the stock assessment next year, we hope to have more insight on what could be contributing to the ongoing low juvenile recruitment and what we can do to support the Chesapeake Bay's blue crabs,' Bromilow said. 'Until then, we need to maintain caution in our management approach for blue crabs.'
Eliza Noe, eliza.noe@virginiamedia.com
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Fox News
a day ago
- Fox News
Prince William and Prince George to be separated by ‘morbid rule' for monarchy's protection: experts
Prince George recently turned 12 years old, and according to royal experts, one "morbid rule" is now expected to go into effect. Royal protocol advises that George will no longer be allowed to fly with his father, Prince William. Heirs are required to fly separately to preserve the line of succession should an accident occur while they are traveling. William, 43, is heir to the throne. "The Prince and Princess of Wales and their children are the future of the royal family," royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told Fox News Digital. "Accidents do happen, and this seems like a sensible precaution which ought to be observed, as it was with King Charles and William during Queen Elizabeth's reign." "There are reports that the king and William, who is a pilot, disagree over this," Fitzwilliams shared. "But it should be necessary to point out that Harry is fifth in line to the throne... and only four working royals are under 70… The need for Prince George as second in line to the throne to fly separately from his father surely makes sense." Fox News Digital reached out to Kensington Palace for comment. WATCH: PRINCE WILLIAM ADAMANT ABOUT GIVING HIS CHILDREN A NORMAL LIFE: AUTHOR The king's former pilot, Graham Laurie, previously confirmed on "A Right Royal Podcast" that he initially flew Charles, William, Harry and Princess Diana together, but that changed when William turned 12, Us Weekly reported. "After that, he had to have a separate aircraft, and we could only fly all four together when they were young with the written permission of Her Majesty," said Laurie, as quoted by the outlet. "When William became 12, he would fly normally in a 125 from Northolt, and we would fly the 146 out with the other three on." British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard claimed to Fox News Digital that the king had made it known that he expected George to travel separately from his father. She noted that father and son will have to "adjust to the change." "Traditional royal travel protocol expects a future heir to travel separately from their father, especially when 12 years old," Chard explained. "Direct heirs should not fly together. Previous generations left children at home with governesses when traveling. This, however, caused a lot of upset for the children. King Charles can vouch for this; he desperately missed his parents when they were away on tour." Still, Chard said that it's likely George and William will ease into the change. "This important matter is being debated as it could impact the future of the monarchy," she claimed. "Travel arrangements for the heir to the throne are important at any age. And the Wales family have always traveled together… There are many rules, expectations and traditions that the royal family is expected to follow." British royals expert Hilary Fordwich pointed out to Fox News Digital that the rule isn't set in stone. However, she noted that it's a travel protocol that monarchs have taken seriously over the years. "Rules, such as not traveling by plane or car together, now that Prince George is 12, are unwritten but a tradition," she explained. "This ensures that the next in line and heir are not lost. It has, on occasion, been relaxed or bent. Now, with the king's health issues, combined with his advanced age, it is considered extremely important to ensure Prince George's safety." "Prince William and Princess Catherine are adhering to many rules, especially those protecting the succession," Fordwich shared. "But to a certain extent, they've reinterpreted other rules, relaxing or even disregarding others, in an admirable attempt to become a more relatable modern family. Every royal generation has likewise updated traditions, thereby remaining relevant." "The restrictions on William and George flying together are a decades-long edict to ensure continuity should one die in a travel accident," added royal expert Ian Pelham Turner. "Whether this will change or be challenged by William in the future and break decades of tradition is not known," he said. "But these days, with the royal family, that is not uncommon." Royal author Robert Jobson previously wrote in his biography, "Catherine, the Princess of Wales," that the king "raised concerns" with William over his helicopter use with his wife, Kate Middleton, and their three children. William had expressed a strong desire to fly with his entire family. Not only did this reportedly spark a tense disagreement, but the king presented William, an experienced pilot, with "a formal document acknowledging the risks involved and taking full responsibility for his actions." A spokesperson for Kensington Palace, which handles the offices of the Prince and Princess of Wales, didn't immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace declined to comment. "There have been several royals who have perished in plane crashes," Fordwich previously explained to Fox News Digital. "As a result, Queen Elizabeth II was particularly sensitive regarding who could and would be permitted to fly together. Rules were put in place years ago regarding the prohibition of royal heirs from flying together." "Much of the royal protocol was insisted upon by the late Queen Elizabeth II," Chard pointed out. Still, the Prince and Princess of Wales aren't afraid to bend the rules on occasion, she said. "[In the past], Prince George would have endured certain rites of passage," Chard explained. "However, the Prince and Princess of Wales do not agree with some of the old-fashioned traditions, such as the 'blooding ritual,' especially when these traditions are not etched in stone. This makes perfect sense as some expectations, especially trivial and old-fashioned etiquette, are no longer relevant in today's modern world." "A few traditions that the Prince and Princess of Wales have broken tend to be fashion-related. I imagine not complying with some of the protocol is a much-welcomed shift." "The royals are far more touchy-feely these days, selfies are occasionally permitted, especially by William," said Fitzwilliams. "The king is a hugger, and William and Catherine communicate by video. The succession to the throne is pivotal to the future of the monarchy, and the deep rift in the royal family underlines its importance. [Still], George should not fly in the same aircraft as his father." Christopher Andersen, author of "The King," previously told Fox News Digital that once George turned 12, he and his father would mark the beginning of a lifestyle change after the "morbid rule" kicks in. "Starting at age 12, heirs to the throne are required to take air trips separately to preserve the line of succession should an accident occur," said Andersen at the time. "When William turned 12, he began flying in a separate royal jet apart from his father and brother Harry," he shared. "It's a morbid rule, but then again, when they turn 16, all senior royals are also asked to help plan their own funerals."
Los Angeles Times
2 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
A Word, Please: Steering clear of faulty parallels
Faulty parallels come up in my editing work all the time, but I have yet to see a better example than a line from the movie 'Rain Man.' In the 1988 film, Raymond, an autistic savant played by Dustin Hoffman, keeps a 'serious injury list' of offenses committed by his brother Charlie, played by Tom Cruise. Among them is the time that Charlie, according to Raymond, 'yelled and pulled and hurt my neck.' Anyone can tell there's something off about that sentence, but pinpointing the problem is a little tougher. To get at what's wrong, you need to focus on something we usually take for granted: parallel sentence structure. Here's the idea: When we say something like, 'I went to the store, the gas station and Mary's house,' what you're really saying is 'I went to the store' and 'I went to the gas station' and 'I went to Mary's house.' But you don't have to repeat the first three words of every sentence because the stuff that follows can share a single instance of 'I went to.' The catch is that all the items have to connect to 'I went to' in the same way. That's called parallel structure. Imagine, though, that we said, 'I went to the store, the gas station and go to Mary's house.' This is a faulty parallel because 'I went to' doesn't connect with 'go to Mary's house.' It says 'I went to go to,' which is illogical. Parallels can take different forms, all of which can break down into faulty structures. For example, the problem with the 'Rain Man' sentence is not that the subject doesn't attach correctly to the multiple verbs that follow. That is, it's fine to say 'Charlie yelled' and 'Charlie pulled' and 'Charlie hurt' — all those work. Instead, the breakdown happens at the end of the sentence when we realize 'my neck' applies not just to the last verb, 'hurt,' but also to the middle verb, 'pulled,' and that it should therefore apply equally to the first verb, 'yelled.' Had Raymond said, 'Charlie pulled and hurt my neck,' it would be clear that 'my neck' is to be shared by both verbs. And he could keep adding verbs, as long as they also had 'my neck' as an object. He 'pulled, hurt, tickled and tattooed my neck.' But throw in a verb that doesn't do anything to his neck, like 'yelled,' and you imply an illogical statement: Charlie yelled my neck. Interestingly, this happens only when three or more items are made parallel. Two items, like 'Charlie yelled and hurt my neck,' would be fine. The faulty parallels I see in my editing work are usually more subtle and often harmless. Here's an example: 'Stretch your legs, your soul and embrace the simple joys.' Technically, that's saying 'Stretch your legs.' 'Stretch your soul.' And 'Stretch embrace the simple joys.' All the parallel items should be nouns you can stretch. 'Embrace' isn't even a noun here. Most of the time, faulty parallels happen because a writer lost track of what the word 'and' is doing in a sentence. 'Our daughter is exploring a number of college majors including English, history, economics and plans to try out for the soccer team.' That sentence needs another 'and' inserted before 'economics' because, as we all instinctively know, lists of three or more items use 'and' before the last item. 'Red, white and blue.' 'Red, white, blue and green.' 'Red, white, blue, green and gray.' The 'and' indicates that last one. In the 'our daughter' sentence, the last major is considered is economics, so it needs an 'and' before it. It's fine to tack on another clause with 'and,' like 'and plans to try out.' But unless you make clear that 'economics' is the last of the majors being considered, you suggest the sentence 'Our daughter is exploring college majors including plans to join the soccer team.' Usually, all it takes to avoid faulty parallels like these is a little care and attention. June Casagrande is the author of 'The Joy of Syntax: A Simple Guide to All the Grammar You Know You Should Know.' She can be reached at JuneTCN@
New York Post
4 days ago
- New York Post
Dad recalls horrific moment 10-year-old son was attacked by shark in Florida: ‘I heard the screaming'
It was a sunny August Saturday when Mary and Jameson Reeder took a boat nine miles out into Looe Key Reef with their four children, for a day of swimming and snorkeling in the crystal clear waters of the Florida Keys. 'The kids were diving, splashing, just having the best time,' writes Jameson in 'Rescue at the Reef: The Miraculous True Story of a Little Boy with Big Faith' (Worthy). As Jameson swam with his youngest son, Nehemiah, his oldest boy, 10-year-old Jameson Jr. grabbed a GoPro video camera and dived down to the seabed to see what he could find. 9 Jameson Reeder Jr. was 10-years-old when he was attacked by a shark on a snorkeling trip with his family. ABC News 'Then I heard the screaming,' Jameson recalls. On the boat, Mary Reeder thought her son had been stung by a jellyfish. But when she and her husband dragged him back on the boat, she was shocked by her son's leg. 'I saw some of his ragged skin and then just bone – way too much bone – and it seemed to keep going and going until his bloody foot rose past me,' she writes. 'His lower leg was all bone. Just below the knee, all the way to the ankle. And then the foot.' Instantly, the couple knew it was a shark attack. 'Nothing else could do that damage,' she adds. 'It was a horrific, almost unreal sight.' But the family was still nine miles off-shore, and the nearest hospital was another 20 miles away. As Mary writes, a 'terrifying realization was still settling into my chest. I'm going to lose my son!' 9 His parents, Mary Catherine and Jameson Reeder, tell the harrowing story in a new book. They weren't totally alone, though. Other boats soon came to their assistance including one with a nurse onboard who swam to the Reeders with a first aid kit, despite the fact that the shark was likely still nearby and there was blood in the water. Racing back to the shore, Mary feared the worst. 'He had lost so much blood, more than I'd ever seen,' she remembers. 'I was trying to keep him awake, to get him to keep his eyes open, praying that he wouldn't die.' When they reached the marina, an ambulance was waiting to transport Jameson to a nearby church — where a helicopter would airlift him to Nicklaus Children's Hospital in Miami, a thirty-minute flight away. There, as doctors examined his injuries, the extent of the damage was clear. As the Reeders explain, the surgeons couldn't save Jameson's leg, because there was nothing left to save. 9 Through footage obtained with Jameson Jr.'s GoPro camera, they were able to ascertain that it was a bull shark — eight to 10 feet long, weighing between 300 and 500 pounds. ABC News 'I had been worried that my son might lose his life. Then I'd been worried that Jameson would lose his leg, but in this moment I realized he had already lost it,' adds Mary. While she and her husband deliberated over giving permission to amputate their son's leg, a doctor intervened. 'You don't have to make this decision,' he told them. 'The shark made it for you. You're off the hook.' The family learned that it almost certainly had been a bull shark — eight to 10 feet long, weighing between 300 and 500 pounds. 'We hadn't seen it,' adds Mary. 'A quarter‐ton animal twice as long as our kid had snuck up on us.' 9 The boy had to be airlifted from the marina to Nicklaus Children's Hospital in Miami. Jameson Reeder Jr / Instagram In a wild twist, their suspicions were confirmed when the boy's GoPro video camera was recovered — and the Reeders could see exactly what had happened. First there was a shadow. Then a tail and a fin. A cloud of blood filled the screen before a shark's tooth appeared and then drifted out of view. 'It wasn't an exaggeration to say he had fought a Goliath and won,' says Jameson Sr. Statistically, write the Reeders, you have a greater chance of being struck by lightning on five separate occasions than you do of ever being attacked by a shark. 9 Doctors said there was no way to save the boy's leg. Jameson Reeder Jr / Instagram What's more, there had never been a single recorded shark attack at Looe Key Reef in recorded history. Jameson had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. When the boy awoke after 10-hour surgery he said he couldn't feel his toes. A doctor asked what he remembered of the incident and why he thought he couldn't feel them. Then the realization kicked in. 'He didn't say anything,' writes Mary. 'He was processing the question, trying to find his way from it to an impossible and horrible answer.' 9 Shortly after the attack, Jameson Jr. was intent on going back to the reef where it happened. ABC News Jameson required three more surgeries as physicians attempted to graft new skin to what was left of the bottom of his leg. But he shocked his family by saying he wanted to go back to the reef, just four days after the attack. 'Dad,' Jameson said, 'I don't want the shark, this hospital, and my leg to be my worst nightmare. I want to face my fear and move forward.' The attack also had profoundly different effects on his three siblings. Brother Noah, 8, for example, wanted to stick close to Jameson to make sure he was all right. 9 Jameson Jr. got a prosthetic leg three months after the attack. Jameson Reeder Jr / Instagram 9 'I don't want the shark, this hospital, and my leg to be my worst nightmare. I want to face my fear and move forward,' the tween said. Credit: Reeder family Six-year-old sister Eliana, meanwhile, didn't even want to talk about what happened. 'Whenever we tell the story to someone, Eliana goes into another room or covers her ears or puts on headphones,' writes Mary. Youngest brother Nehemiah, 3, thinks his brother is a superhero. 'He brags about it to people,' says Jameson Sr. 'He just thinks it's so cool: 'My brother got bit by a bull shark.'' The family, meanwhile, attributed their son's miraculous survival to their faith. 'I felt so certain that God was leading every snap decision,' writes Jameson Sr. 'Every moment felt like we had been guided into doing the best thing.' Jameson told his parents that in the aftermath of the attack, while he was drifting in and out of consciousness on the boat back to shore, he had seen a 'person on fire' standing on the boat. 'I knew it was Jesus,' he told them, adding: 'It was the worst and best day of my life.' 9 The family attributes their son's miraculous survival to their faith. Jameson Reeder Jr / Instagram Three months after the attack, Jameson — who still swims and skateboards and plays basketball with friends — received his first prosthetic leg. Before the year was over, he went surfing. On the one-year anniversary of the incident, the Reeder family returned to Looe Key Reef to swim in the same waters. 'We did see some sharks when we got in the water. That definitely made it more frightening, more intense,' recalls Jameson Sr. 'But Jameson still jumped in.'
