Church Creek Waterman Cited for Over 200 Undersized Crabs

Dorchester County, MD - On June 15, 2026 Maryland Natural Resources Police officers were on routine patrol at Fishing Bay Wildlife Management Area in Dorchester County, Maryland.

During that time, they spotted a commercial vessel being loaded onto a trailer after a day of crabbing.

Officers stopped to conduct a commercial inspection. Inside three bushel baskets, they found a total of 233 undersized crabs, made up of both males and immature females.

The vessel's operator, a 57-year-old man from Church Creek, Maryland, was issued several citations. He was cited for having undersized crabs, failing to keep male and female crabs separated, and failing to produce a certificate number.

He also received citations for not carrying operational flares and for not having his vessel's ID numbers visible. If found guilty on all counts, he faces up to $6,000 in fines.

All of the undersized crabs were seized by officers. They were returned to the Transquaking River.