.10 Recreational Crabbing Catch and Possession Limits — Chesapeake Bay and its Tidal Tributaries.

A. A daily catch limit of a maximum of 2 bushels of male hard crabs, and 2 dozen soft crabs or male peeler crabs or a combination of 2 dozen soft crabs and male peeler crabs, may be caught and possessed if:

(1) Two or more individuals licensed to catch crabs for recreational purposes are on a boat, regardless of whether the boat is licensed by the Department as a recreational crabbing boat; or

(2) Two or more individuals are on a boat and one individual is licensed to catch crabs for recreational purposes and in addition the boat is licensed by the Department as a recreational crabbing boat.

B. A daily catch limit of a maximum of 1 bushel of male hard crabs, and 2 dozen soft crabs or male peeler crabs or a combination of 2 dozen soft crabs and male peeler crabs, may be caught and possessed if:

(1) An individual on shore is licensed to catch crabs for recreational purposes;

(2) An individual is licensed to catch crabs for recreational purposes with either an individual crab license or a recreational crabbing boat decal which authorizes one individual to crab from the boat to which the decal is affixed;

(3) There is no individual licensed to catch crabs for recreational purposes aboard a boat licensed by the Department as a recreational crabbing boat; or

(4) A commercially licensed individual is recreationally crabbing as described in Regulation .03E of this chapter.

C. A daily catch limit of a maximum of 2 dozen male hard crabs, and 1 dozen soft crabs or male peeler crabs or a combination of 1 dozen soft crabs and male peeler crabs, may be caught and possessed if:

(1) An individual is not licensed to catch crabs for recreational purposes;

(2) An individual is exempted or registered with the Department to crab recreationally as described in Regulation .09 of this chapter; or

(3) A seine is used, regardless of the number of licensed or unlicensed individuals.

D. If there is no individual licensed to catch crabs for recreational purposes aboard a boat not licensed by the Department as a recreational crabbing boat or one or more individuals exempted or registered with the Department to crab recreationally as described in Regulation .09 of this chapter aboard a boat:

(1) The daily catch limit is 4 dozen male hard crabs per boat; and

(2) The maximum number of soft crabs and male peeler crabs per boat is 1 dozen soft crabs or male peeler crabs or a combination of 1 dozen soft crabs and male peeler crabs per day.

E. Female Hard Crabs and Female Peelers.

(1) Except as provided in §E(2) of this regulation, an individual may not catch or possess female hard crabs or female peelers.

(2) Exceptions.

(a) An individual licensed to harvest crabs for commercial purposes, except those with a frozen or male only crab harvester license as described in Regulation .14F of this chapter, may catch or possess female hard crabs and female peelers.

(b) An individual may possess female peeler or hard crabs if the female crabs are accompanied by a bill of sale.

F. An individual commercially harvesting crabs aboard a vessel may only have crabs that are commercially harvested on board.