According to DNR the new recreational and commercial harvest regulations would help rebuild the Chesapeake Bay blue crab population and fishery. The regulations are designed to reduce female blue crab harvest by 34 percent this year. Governor Martin O’Malley opined that new action needed to be taken to ensure that Maryland’s iconic blue crab and the economy it supports continue to be important parts of our culture for generations to come.
He also said that the historic cooperation and coordination between Maryland, Virginia and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission has created an unparalleled opportunity to protect and restore our shared blue crab resource. According to him the proposed emergency regulations for the 2008 Chesapeake Bay commercial blue crab fishery include an early closure to the season for harvesting female crabs and catch limits on female crabs earlier in the fall.
The regulations for the 2008 Chesapeake Bay recreational fishery prohibit any female blue crab harvest. John R. Griffin, DNR secretary, told that protecting female blue crabs by reducing recreational and commercial harvests represents the best opportunity for the quickest rebound. He said that more than 500 individual comments have been submitted on blue crab management to the DNR since it initiated a public comment process in February. He informed that DNR will hold two public hearings on the regulatory proposal one in May and other in June.
