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Are Striped Bass Responsible for Low Crab Population?

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Maryland watermen say that the striped brass have been feeding on crabs leading to their low numbers.

And, now they are circulating a picture on the Internet that shows a striped bass cut open with around 20 small crabs inside.

Waterman Larry Powley on Hooper’s Island told WBOC that his happens all of the time.

He said with the underwater grasses disappearing from the bay the crab sit on the bottom an easy target for the fish.

But the Maryland Department of Natural Resources told the television station that there is no scientific data to support the idea that Striped Bass are the cause of a significant decline in the Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab.

In its statement the Department said that studies in Maryland and Virginia found that Blue Crabs make up a small percentage of the average Striped Bass diet.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.