Maryland Moves to Relax Successful Blue Crab Regulations

Should Maryland ease up on its successful new restrictions on catching female blue crabs? The intention is to help watermen increase their catch. Let us know your opinions on the issue.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources today is announcing that the state plans to open up a nine-day period for catching female blue crabs from September 26 to October 4. The elimination of a closure period during these dates comes after the population of blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay more than doubled – to 658 million crabs estimated this winter, the highest in more than a decade -- because of restrictions imposed by Maryland and Virginia in 2008 to protect female crabs.  Those regulations were needed because blue crabs hit near record lows in 2007 because of overfishing and pollution.

Maryland officials say that the elimination of the short fall closure is a “minor adjustment” that will “provide for increased commercial harvest opportunity” without jeopardizing harvest targets “designed to keep Maryland on track to building a sustainable fishery.” Meanwhile, the rest of the 2008 crabbing regulations will remain in place, according to the state agency.

This spring, Virginia made its own adjustment to crab regulations, extending by 14 days the allowable period for harvesting dark "sponge crabs" (female crabs carrying egg masses).

The Baltimore Sun quoted Larry Simns, president of the Maryland Watermen’s Association, as saying: “the change (in Maryland) is one he and other watermen have been seeking.… Female crabs are abundant during late September and early October, and crabbers in the lower bay depend on female crabs to make a living, he said.

‘That would be a big help to our people,’ Simns said. "Once you close up for two weeks, the market goes and finds crabs somewhere else. We want to hang on to our markets.’"

Maryland officials say that the slight adjustment is not expected to allow harvesters to exceed a scientifically-established 46 percent crab harvest rate that experts view as critical for maintaining healthy and growing crab populations in the Chesapeake Bay.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation is vigilantly monitoring the state actions and blue crab levels.  Crab populations today are indeed better than they were three years ago, and that is good news. But the Chesapeake Bay still does not have a fully restored crab population. Abundance is still well below historic levels. The bottom line is that we need to keep increasing the crab population. So the states need to be very careful they do not exceed the 46% harvest rate.

Unfortunately, many more than this are often taken from the Bay. The 46 percent healthy harvest threshold was violated in seven of the 10 years between 1997 and 2007, hitting 71 percent in 2001. That meant that 71 percent of all crabs in the Chesapeake Bay that year were caught in traps or dredged from the bottom. Excessive harvesting like this helped to drive crab populations down by more than two thirds between 1993 and 2007. The economic damage was so severe the U.S. Secretary of Commerce declared an economic disaster in 2008, making watermen eligible for emergency relief funds. 

The bottom line: care must still be taken with the blue crabs. Because we're not out of the woods yet.  

------------------------------------------------

By Tom Pelton

Chesapeake Bay Foundation

Comments

[Steve Kline]

I think any reasonable person would see this for what it is, a kowtow to the watermen. It is unfortunate that both bureaucrats and elected officials look to this most biased of groups to determine fisheries policy in the Chesapeake.

One good year does not a recovery make. It will be interesting to see how this year's snows, followed by spring drought and high temperatures impact next year's crab numbers.

Leaving the females where they belong is a net benefit for everyone. Watermen find it difficult to see beyond their wallets to what is good for their own future economic sustainability and the environmental welfare of the Bay. One only need look to one of the most sustainable fisheries on the planet, the state-managed Gulf of Maine lobster fishery, to know that throwing the females back makes good economic and environmental sense.

[Tom Pelton]

That seems to be the opinion of most of our readers, Steve.

Of the first 38 people who commented on this subject on CBF's Facebook page, 35 of them were against easing the crabbing restrictions.

Here is a list of some of the comments from our friends on Facebook. They were asked whether they thought it was a good idea or bad idea to ease the crabbing restrictions. They responded:

* WRETCHED IDEA

* BAD IDEA

* bad idea

* Unlike

* Do no harm! It's that simple. If it's too soon, BAD idea.

* Too soon.

* Keep the moratorium going.

* As a fisheries policy professional, I can say that this is putting the cart before the horse. A one year uptick in population estimates does not a recovery make. The public support for this regulations is high, and should not be undermined by a biased interest group like the watermen's associations.

* If the current regulation is what is helping increase populations -isn't that what will fundamentally help increase catches?

* Strong, healthy populations = more crabs for everyone.

* Boo.

* I think they should not ease up on restrictions - agree with above posters.

* If I recall it takes about 3 yrs from larval stage to harvestable size, so a 1 yr population increase really is not enough data for to draw conclusions, the findings although encouraging should not be used to change permanent policy. However maybe the possible help it could give waterman may be worth the the experiment. This is the problem with restoration of commercially valuable populations, we need to weigh the environmental concerns against the human impact.

* Unlike

HERE ARE TWO OF THE COMMENTS ON FACEBOOK IN FAVOR OF EASING THE RESTRICTIONS:

* I wonder what your reaction(s) would be if you and you families lived on Tangier and Smith Island, and the only resource you had to provide an income for yourself and your family were the Bay and the bounty it provided.........those nine(9) days could be most benificial,those nine days can or could perhaps ease hardships that often befall 'our' watermen and as my grandmother used to say"Could help keep the wolf. away".......meaning to have a little money put aside, to prepare for the harsh Winter weather that so often occurs on the two small islands.
And one more thing..its easy to sit back in an office w/ a secure job,and health insurance, but until you live the life of of a Tangier or Smith Islander,and have crabbed your whole life..you might need to refrain from posting 'how you think the crabbing situation should be handled.

* First of all the state of maryland and the commonwealth of virginia wont tell you that just on the north carolina side of the border with Virginia in the ocean the North Carolina watermen where harvesting over 300 bushels per boat over the winter, mostly females and some of which where tagged in maryland, so it's going to be real hard restocking something that don't stay in the bay.
secondly: Crab population started too dwindle in 1990 or 91, OH THATS WHEN THESE SAME PEOPLE DECIDED TO RESTOCK THE BAY WITH FARMED ROCK FISH (Striped Bass) WHICH EATS EVERYTHING SMALLER THAN THEM.

SECOND FACEBOOK QUESTION:

We also asked on Facebook the following question, with a link to the Bay Daily article above. "Should Maryland be protecting female blue crabs? Or watermen?"

27 people wrote in response, with 16 suggesting blue crabs should be protected, none saying watermen should be protected, and five saying that the question was a false one (because protecting female blue crabs is a method of protecting watermen from devastation of a resource that they rely upon.) Six others gave responses that did not directly answer the question.

[Dennis K. Biby]

As someone who grew up on a wheat farm in Oklahoma there comes a time when the "old ways" must give way to today.

It isn't easy. As a libertarian I don't support paying the Tangier and Smith Island folks or other crabbers to learn a new trade, but I do believe that government/society can transition them into another industry.

We can't kill a species just so someone can carry on as their fathers/mothers - think buggy whips.

Dennis

[Ken]

What I don't understand is why recreational crabbers are not required to record their catches and submit them to the DNR in Maryland and the VMRC in Virginia. If the thousands of recreationals (call either agency and ask for the official numbers, and then add in all the unregistered people with their johnboats out on the weekend) were to add up all their total bushels, I think both states would be amazed at how many crabs are "harvested" that are never accounted for. Maybe then, all of the people that come out on weekends and trotline and/or 'tourist trap' would stop saying "Well, it's not MY fault, I only catch a bushel or two..."

I've heard the phrase "Watermen are like Indians without a reservation." Sounds about right: they've been on the Bay for generations, know the waters, know the peculiarities of the weather and tide and how they affect the various species in the area, yet they are ignored at meetings that determine the watermen's own future, the chance for their children to follow in their footsteps has been effectively killed (no more licensing since the late 1990s means few people have gone into the industry) and have had their public fishing/crabbing/oystering grounds taken away from them piece by piece until nothing will be left. They are boarded and searched without a warrant or reasonable cause. And when future generations ask why there are only a handful of watermen working on the Bay, they can look back through state records and find the names of individuals in government, conservation groups, sportsmen's groups, and various seafood industry leaders (looking for cheaper imports from elsewhere), and say, with confidence, "This person, and this person, and that one, are responsible for the death of a culture."

[John Koontz]

Same old story. MD & VA waterman always want to harvest until there are no more. Like the medicine is working so now I don't need to take it any more. No good Doctor would do this with a human patient so why the Bay?

[Tommy]

I write this as a practicing waterman and fisheries scientist for an environmental group.
The Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab fishery was sustainable under intense fishing pressure since it began. The cause of the decline is not entirely from overharvesting, although mnanaging crabbers is often the simplest solution. It has become clear now that along with managing crabbers there has to be an equal if not stronger effort to manage pollution and population growth in the Bay watershed or other fisheries will continue to be impaied. Other factors such as storms, pollution, loss of habitat and out of control development on the Bay often play a very large part in the decline of the blue crab. The intent of the strict regulations adopted by both MD and VA several years ago was to stabilze the population so that we could once again have a bountiful fishery. The intent was to ease regulations as the crab population recovered. We are now into the THIRD year of the regulations and the crab population has increased drammatically each year. Fisheries managers with both states have accordingly eased some restrictions slightly. They are not giving in to crabbers but attempting to ease restrictions as they can be eased without reversing progress made on rebuilding the crab population.

One reader commented that it takes crabs 3 years to reach maturity. Wrong; it's more like 18 months. Blue crabs are very prolific and the population can rebound VERY rapidly,given the right environmental factors and a little regulatory assistance. Hence, the thought that regulations would be re-evaluated after 3 years. The regulations have worked, the crab population appears to have responded positively, there should be 2 or more strong year classes of crabs and after the winter dredge survey is conducted and evaluated in 2010-2011, both states should begin to evaluate what regulations are and are not neccessary to sustain a stable population.

Our Island communities, and other small coastal fishing communities are a cultural icon in the Bay and an important part of our heritage. Hopefully, with adequate (not overbearing) management of the crab population, and efforts to improve water quality and manage growth in the Bays watershed, our Island and coastal fishing communities can survive.

[John Koontz]

The not overbearing management of blue crabs by MD DNR has once again relaxed the regulations. First signs of recovery, go catch more females. Does not add up to me, but then again, I am not a scientest.

[Friend of Shell Fish bay]

I as well as my family have been commercial watermen on the bay for generations, and what i dont understand is why were argueing over whether to ease or apply more regulations.... Regulations will not save the crab population because regulations and watermen are not the cause of the population decline. Its called POLLUTION!!! No underwater grasses let rockfish and skates gobble up the yearling crabs, and poor water quality and low oxygen rates don't make the living conditions very nice for young crabs... Why don't we work together to start making the State of Maryland accountable for all the sewage they have been pumping into our resource for the past 40 years!!! If watermen in much greater numbers harvested the bay for hundreds of years and never had problems with population declines... That leads to a question. How come in todays world where watermen are only a fraction of the force they were 50 years ago, how come the crab population has decided to plummet now? It's not watermen, its a decline in the environment from all this damn sewage Maryland has been serving us, both on and off the water. Lets face the real issue instead of this puppet show the states been showing us... hmm reminds me of high school english way back when.. was it plato who was talking about the citizens being kept in the dark and believed the shadows were reality? Been a while... but this whole situation is just that... What a shocker, big daddy government aint so honest...