From 2008 to 2012, the total U.S. commercial landings of blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, 1896) averaged over 173 million lbs. Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries are important contributors to this fishery, providing greater than 30% of national commercial landings annually. In Chesapeake Bay, C. sapidus exhibits a complex life cycle in which mated females migrate to the saline waters of the Bay mouth to spawn. During migration, females can traverse multiple management jurisdictions, complicating effective management of this important fishery. Sustained declines in harvest have led to management strategies focused on protecting the female spawning stock in an attempt to enhance recruitment back into the Bay. This study presents the results of a broad scale mark-recapture study (n=7,072) in 11 Chesapeake Bay subestuaries and one coastal embayment, designed to track female migration and quantify spatial variation in exploitation rates of mature female blue crabs. Tagging was conducted in fall 2014 (September and October), when most females have matured and begin to migrate to the spawning grounds, and in summer 2015 (July), when additional females mature and migrate to the spawning grounds. Approximately 8.1% of tagged females were recaptured within one year of release. Overall, the exploitation rate of the 2015 blue crab spawning stock in Chesapeake Bay was 10.5%; however exploitation varied widely among systems (4.0-28.5%). This estimate is below both the management target and threshold exploitation rates and the population grew in subsequent years, suggesting recruitment overfishing of blue crabs was not occurring in Chesapeake Bay at this time.

I conducted a 12-month study of near-shore habitats in Lake Pontchartrain to assess spatiotemporal variation in the abundance of early life stage blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus). Collections were made using a 1 m2 throw trap and data showed that C. sapidus numbers varied over time and among sites. Two recruitment events occurred during the study. During the first recruitment in May-June, C. sapidus entered Lake Pontchartrain via the Inner Harbor Navigational Canal. In September-October, C. sapidus entered the Lake Pontchartrain via the Rigolets and Chef passes. My data suggest that C. sapidus utilize water circulation within the Lake Pontchartrain as a means of transportation throughout the estuary. MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) 250 m data were analyzed to gain a large-scale view of suspended sediments patterns within Lake Pontchartrain and quantify water movement. Field sampling along with remote sensing proved to be beneficial when assessing estuarine-wide C. sapidus post-larval dispersal processes.

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