Chesapeake Crabbing - Chesapeake Blue Crabs - Catch your own crab feast!
Maryland Crab Regulations
Season
April 1–Dec 15.
Time of Day Restrictions
Rivers, creeks and tributaries:
- April and Oct through Dec. 15—one half hour after sunrise to sunset.
- May through Sept—one half hour before sunrise to sunset.
Chesapeake Bay Mainstem:
- April and October through Dec. 15—one half hour after sunrise to 5 p.m.
- May through September—one half hour before sunrise to 5 p.m.
Using properly registered crab pots on private property, dip nets or handlines is permitted 24 hours a day.
Minimum Size Limits
(measured from tip to tip of spikes)
Male hard crab:
- April 1–July 14—5 inches
- July 15–Dec 15—5¼ inches
Male peeler crab:
- April 1–July 14—3¼ inches
- July 15–Dec 15—3½ inches
Soft crab:
- April 1–Dec 15—3½ inches
It is Illegal for a Recreational Crabber:
- To sell crabs.
- To possess an egg-bearing (sponge) crab or any female hard or peeler crab.
- To set or fish a trotline, collapsible trap or crab net ring within 100 feet of another individual’s set gear.
- To fish crab gear which belongs to another person.
- To harvest crabs while SCUBA diving.
- To use gear other than the gear listed in the table below.