The National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service has awarded the
State of Maryland $10 million in federal fishery disaster funding to help
rescue Maryland’s beleaguered Chesapeake Bay blue crab industry. Earlier
this year, Governor Martin O’Malley worked closely with Maryland’s
Congressional Delegation to help secure a federal fisheries disaster
declaration for the fishery and funding to mitigate the losses of the men
and women the industry supports.
“We are grateful to NOAA for making these funds available and are especially
appreciative of the concerted efforts of our Congressional Delegation –
especially Senator Barbara Mikulski, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, and
Representative C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger in making this critical funding
possible,” said Governor O’Malley. “The State of Maryland will invest this
money in the essential habitat restoration projects and new economic
opportunities that will help rebuild our blue crab population and ensure a
stronger industry for the future.”
The federal funding augments the $3 million in State capital funding set
aside last year by Governor O’Malley and the members of the Maryland General
Assembly to employ watermen and provide financial assistance to seafood
businesses affected by the crab decline.
“Last May, I stood with Maryland’s watermen and promised to stand up for
them as they face a potential disaster to their way of life,” said Senator
Mikulski, Chairwoman of the Commerce, Justice and Science (CJS)
Appropriations Subcommittee. “Now these funds will help soften the blow of
years of shrinking crab harvests and provide opportunities to the watermen
who have been affected by it. I will continue to lead Team Maryland in our
efforts to protect the Bay and those whose livelihoods depend on it.”
Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) managers recently met with
NOAA representatives to outline the State’s plans to use the funds over the
next three years. The plans include:
* Focusing on aquaculture and tourism to create new long-term economic
opportunities and industry diversification. Funds will be made available for
regional and onsite training and scholarships for aquaculture related
college courses.
* Investing in new processing methods such as improved shell removal
from crabmeat and innovative and safe packaging design to improve the
economic viability and product quality of Maryland’s crab processing
industry.
* Supporting habitat restoration, blue crab monitoring and research,
and regulatory enforcement.
* Hiring watermen to remove lost or abandoned crab pots from local
waters that damage sensitive habitats, blue crabs and other fish.
* Engaging commercial crabbers in cooperative blue crab monitoring and
research projects.
* Restructuring the fishery to provide longer term predictability and
greater market stability for the regional industry. A voluntary reduction
of commercial crabbers offers greater flexibility, predictability and
security for full time watermen and a more stable and sustainable blue crab
fishery.
This year, Governor O’Malley also plans to expand opportunity for
prospective shellfish growers to establish aquaculture businesses in
Maryland waters by establishing Aquaculture Enterprise Zones.
“The restoration of the blue crab population is not only critical to the
Maryland crabbing industry, but also vital to the health of the Chesapeake
Bay ecosystem,” stated Representative Hoyer. “My colleagues in the Maryland
Congressional Delegation and I have worked hard with Governor O’Malley on
efforts to restore the blue crab, and I am pleased to learn that Maryland
will receive $10 million in funding for this purpose.”
“The Maryland blue crab is such an important part of our state’s culture and
economy but the industry is facing tough times,” said Congressman C.A. Dutch
Ruppersberger, a Member of the House Appropriations Committee. “These funds
will bring some much needed relief to Maryland watermen who depend on the
industry for their livelihood. I applaud our team effort to get these funds
quickly to the families and communities who need them.
The O’Malley-Brown Administration took historic action, in cooperation with
Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine, to rebuild the Chesapeake Bay’s
beleaguered blue crab population by reducing the harvest of ecologically
valuable female blue crabs by 34 percent in 2008. In September 2008, in
response to a request from Governors O’Malley and Kaine, and advocacy by the
Congressional Delegation, NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service declared
a federal fishery disaster for Chesapeake Bay watermen and women who have
suffered economic hardships due to the extremely low and unstable blue crab
abundance as well as the downturn in the national economy. Maryland
currently has 5,931 licensed commercial crabbers.
