June 8, 2026 — Blue crab populations in North Carolina appear to be undergoing significant changes, particularly between the state’s two largest estuarine systems, according to preliminary findings presented by the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries during a public webinar on a new benchmark stock assessment.
Stock Assessment Program Manager Dr. Matt Damiano told commercial fishermen, recreational anglers, researchers and coastal residents during the May 28 webinar that the division is pursuing a new approach after a 2023 update assessment failed peer review and was deemed unsuitable for fisheries management.
The benchmark assessment, expected to be completed later this year, will examine more than four decades of commercial harvest and scientific survey data in an effort to provide a clearer picture of the health of North Carolina’s blue crab stock.
Damiano stressed repeatedly that the assessment is not tied to any proposed regulations and that no management changes are being considered as part of the process.
“This is a purely informational session,” Damiano said. “We’re not talking about implementing anything new as it comes to blue crab tonight.”