The study estimates that there are only 238 million of the crabs in the bay today, a collapse of 79 million, or nearly a quarter — but scientists say the population could still come back.

Maryland's Chesapeake Bay is seeing a concerning drop in its population of blue crabs, according to the Chesapeake Bay foundation.

Maryland and Virginia have released the results of the 2025 Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey, showing decreased but stable populations of the crustaceans.