Claws Célèbre: Maryland Plans Pinch on Crab Harvest

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. (More crab stories.)