You are a marine ecologist and professor at a univeristy in North Carolina. After years of researching about the biology and ecology of the blue crab, you notice that the crab population is declining steadily. This is an important issue since the blue crab is the number one fishery industry in North Carolina. Many local fishermen will be out of jobs if the crab population continues to decline.

The fishermen believe the population is not dwindling, but instead argue that this is merely a natural fluctuation in the population. You also serve as science adviser to the state's Marine Fisheries Commission, which is responsible for managing all commercial fishing activities in North Carolina. You have a strong suspicion that the fishermen are overfishing the crabs, but you are not convinced that this is the only cause for the declining population.

As the Commission's science adviser, you need to provide scientific evidence to show whether the blue crab population is declining and potential causes for this decline. The politicians and fishermen on the Commission need to understand:

1. Is the blue crab population declining?
2. How are humans responsible?
3. How is commercial fishing impacting the blue crab population?
4. Can there be other events affecting the population?
5. What can be done? It is important that you provide management suggestions to the government officials.