Green Crabs

I've been flipping rocks to collect local crabs for bait for 20+ years. In that time, I can remember the very few rare occasions when the crab was not an invasive Asian Shore crab. Every one of these invasive species went into my bucket.

Isn't collecting these crabs and using them for bait helping diminish their population?
New England is trying to get locals to develop a food market for green crabs. Isn't potting them tu use for bait helping to reduce their numbers?

I understand why certain lakes or ponds prohibit the transfer of invasive baitfish, because they are trying to remain free of those species. That ship has sailed. Here, it's not as if one or two of the thousand invasive green or Asian crabs that had been removed from the environment to use as bait make it back into the water unscathed, that it will in any way affect the population. It's too late to impose these regulations. I don't know what they're thinking? They clearly aren't.

What got me was the "non-living state" to use as bait.

No need to worry about using dead vs alive. After the crabs get a taste of my shears I can assure the LEO that they are most definitely dead.

Still, having more than 50 crabs at one time is technically ticket-able. I have yet to see it enforced. I used to pot my own greens and been stopped by the Bay Constable at least twice that I can recall with a solid couple of bushels aboard. He threatened to count my crabs, but never did. I wonder why . . . I certainly wasn't loaning him MY crab-handling gloves, that's fo' sho'. HAAH! 😎

Is this something new, or has everyone been ignoring the law?

Ignoring.

if you do the math, anything over 4 dozen green crabs is a violation.
Most of us purchase and use more than that for a black fishing trip.
Once again, the DEC cant get out of there own way.
This is an invasive crab. However you cant have more thn 50 for bait