Introduction

The blue crab industry of Alabama supports up to 200 commercial crabbers and current landings average 1.3 million pounds per year worth close to $1.2 million in dockside value. While only 8% of blue crabs in the Gulf of Mexico are landed in Alabama, 50% of the Gulf’s annual blue crab harvest is processed in this state. Importing crabs from Texas, Louisiana, Florida, and Mississippi, Alabama crab processors transform raw crab into the prepared packages of crab meat that are available in your local grocery store.

The blue crab fishery of Alabama is managed by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) Division of Marine Resources (DMR). Currently, management utilizes preventative measures such as minimum size limits, gear restrictions and closure areas in nursery habitats to protect blue crab stocks in state waters. Alabama also runs a derelict trap program to remove damaged, lost or unused traps from the water to prevent pollution, ghost fishing, and damage to habitat.

The 2013 Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission Blue Crab Stock Assessment determined that the Alabama blue crab fishery is included within the “western” blue crab stock of the Gulf along with MS, LA, and TX and this stock is currently not overfished and not experiencing overfishing.