A new chapter in Delaware’s seafood industry may be on the horizon.
Dan Mills, a Felton-area resident, is exploring the idea of launching the state’s first blue crab hatchery—a move that could help support the declining wild crab population and boost local job creation.
A Big Opportunity with Big Challenges
Blue crabs make up Delaware’s largest commercial fishery, outpacing all other fisheries in the state.
But with demand rising and natural stocks shrinking, Mills believes now is the time to explore aquaculture as a solution.
He recently presented the idea to the state’s Advisory Council on Shell Fisheries, where the response was cautiously optimistic.
To move forward, however, Mills would need changes to two state laws:
- One prohibits the possession of juvenile crabs
- Another bans the possession of sponge crabs (females carrying eggs)
Mills proposed that both restrictions be lifted under the condition that the crabs are used strictly in controlled aquaculture systems.
Support and Caution from Experts
The council acknowledged concerns about market competition, but noted that many crabs sold in Delaware already come from out of state.
Ultimately, it agreed that the concept has merit, but Mills will need legislative support to make it happen.
Ed Hale, a marine science professor at the University of Delaware and council member, sees promise in the project, but emphasized the hurdles present and ahead that would need to be tackled for this idea to become a reality.
Reproducing blue crabs in a hatchery is no small feat—larval survival is notoriously low, and maintaining the precise environmental conditions they require adds another layer of complexity to attempts at a blue crab hatchery.
“There’s a blueprint from academic studies,” Hale explained, “but implementing it in a real-world facility takes serious effort.”
He also highlighted the importance of developing a solid market plan alongside the hatchery.
“New aquaculture producers sometimes focus so much on production, they overlook the business side,” Hale said.
Hope for Delaware’s Blue Economy
If successful, the hatchery could help diversify Delaware’s coastal economy while easing pressure on the wild crab population.
“There’s a lot of potential here,” Hale said. “And plenty of people want to see him succeed.”
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Source: Cape Gazette