The Virginia Marine Resources Commission sent out a press release last Friday announcing that Governor Kaine and Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley will attend a joint briefing tomorrow (April 15) in Colonial Beach, Va. on the health of the Chesapeake blue crab. The briefing will be held at the Potomac River Fisheries Commission at 3 p.m.

This is seriously scary stuff for crab lovers and people who make their living harvesting the critters. The press release stated:

The session will include a presentation from Maryland and Virginia fishery regulators on the current state of the Bay’s blue crab population and their collaborative, science-driven recommendations for significant harvest restrictions necessary to revive the species. Biological data show the crab population has plummeted by 70 percent since the early 1990s and remains at serious risk of collapse if harvest levels are not reduced quickly and decisively. The 2007 harvest of blue crabs from both Virginia and Maryland waters was at near record-low levels – slightly more than 19 million pounds in Virginia and just under 22 million pounds in Maryland. “This is a serious warning sign that our blue crab fishery is in peril. To not act would be irresponsible,’’ said Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources Preston Bryant. “It is imperative that the governors get this information firsthand as we work in partnership to revive this iconic and economically important species.”

Here’s T-D reporter Lawrence Latane’s article about the meeting. It has some good background.

It will be interesting to see what kind of restrictions are placed on future blue crab harvests and what the economic impact will be. Stay tuned.

Posted by Andy Thompson in • Outdoors
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