.01 Crabbing Gear

Defines every type of crabbing gear legal in Maryland tidal waters. Recreational gear includes bushels, collapsible traps, net rings, crab pots, dip nets, handlines, trotlines, and seines. Commercial harvesters can use all recreational gear plus bank traps, barrels, channel pounds, crab scrapes, hand scrapes, and lugs. No diving apparatus allowed. If it's not listed here, you can't use it to catch crabs.

A. Lawful Gear.
(1) A person may catch crabs in the tidal waters of Maryland only with the gear authorized in this chapter.
(2) Diving apparatus cannot be used alone or combined with other authorized methods for crabbing in Maryland's tidal waters.
(3) Crab-catching gear defined in this chapter, excluding seines, is not classified as a net per COMAR 08.02.05.02.

B. Recreational Gear — Definitions.
(1) The following gear may be used for recreational crabbing purposes.
(2) "Bushel" — Either circular (18" top diameter, 13.5" bottom, 12" height) or rectangular (11" height, 19.5" length, 12.5" width) container.
(3) "Collapsible crab trap" — Manually operated, portable device with flat bottom (maximum 20"×15"), four articulated sides, designed so manual tension release allows crab escape.
(4) "Crab net ring" — Device with two rings of different diameters (larger ≤30") or one ring (≤30") connected by netting; lies flat when baited, forms deep pocket when pulled up.
(5) "Crab pot" — Cube or rectangular device with inward-facing openings for crab entrance.
(6) "Dip net" — Mesh bag suspended from circular, oval, or rectangular frame with handle.
(7) "Handline" — An unbuoyed fishing line managed primarily by hand.
(8) "Trotline" — Rope/line buoyed at both ends with anchors, baited at intervals without hooks.
(9) "Seine" — An encircling type of net which is not more than 50 feet long and 5 feet wide.

C. Commercial Gear.
(1) Commercial harvesters may use items listed in B(2)–(8) plus additional commercial gear.
(2) "Bank trap" — Wire mesh enclosure (≤4'×4') with single hedging row (≤75' long).
(3) "Barrel" — Container holding ≤2.5 bushels (20.5" top diameter, 27.5" height, 18" bottom diameter).
(4) "Channel pound" — Wire mesh enclosure (≤8'×4') with two hedging rows (≤100' each).
(5) "Crab scrape" — Scoop dragged along bottom for crabbing.
(6) "Hand scrape" — Single scoop dragged and retrieved by hand without mechanical assistance.
(7) "Lug" — Rectangular container (22.875" top length, 14.875" top width, 21" bottom length, 13" bottom width, 12.375" height).

View on regs.maryland.gov