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SUNDAY, JULY 5, 2009

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Claws Célèbre: Maryland Plans Pinch on Crab Harvest

(Newser Summary) – Faced with the lowest catch in decades, Maryland is taking steps to help stem the blue crab's decline. Tough measures are being proposed that would cut the harvest of female crabs by up to 40%, the Baltimore Sun reports. The state says urgent action is needed to stop the Chesapeake fishery collapsing—but crabbers aren't happy.

"You've got to be kidding me," grumbled one waterman who said he wouldn't make enough money to cover his costs under drastic new catch restrictions. Conservationists say that to halt the crabs' decline, Maryland and Virginia need to work on long-term strategies rather than quick fixes. The crabbers themselves blame pollution rather than overfishing for the plunge in crab numbers.
Source: Baltimore Sun

elsewhere: Drastic measures proposed to save crab Washington Post • Politics and science collide in crab debate Daily Times (Virginia) • Watermen worry as crab season opens Associated Press

More about:  Virginia • fishing • Maryland • fishing ban • crab

Chesapeake watermen blame pollution rather than overfishing...
Chesapeake watermen blame pollution rather than overfishing for falling crab numbers and say drastic new harvest restrictions will put them out of business.   (AP Photo/Jamie C. Horton)
Maryland is planning tough new restrictions on crab...
Maryland is planning tough new restrictions on crab catches to try and halt a rapid decline in Chesapeake Bay crab numbers.   (Getty Images)
Over 1,000 Marylanders make their living catching...
Over 1,000 Marylanders make their living catching crabs and thousands more work in related industries like crab restaurants.   (KRT Photos)
A female blue crab is fitted with a microchip that...
A female blue crab is fitted with a microchip that will help scientists determine how pregnant females migrate from the upper reaches of the Chesapeake Bay to the mouth of the bay.   (KRT Photos)
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