On Monday April 5, the Coastal Conservation Association Virginia (CCA VA) Fisheries Management committee voted unanimously to ask the Virginia Marine Resource Commission (VMRC) to consider a 6 point emergency plan to protect depressed Virginia blue crab stocks by reducing harvest pressure particularly on prespawn females.

According to scientists at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) the spawning stock of blue crabs is off 70% since 1994, and the overall crab harvest is down 30% since 1994. In spite of adopting a patchwork series crab initiatives, and caps on licenses and gear, the VMRC has failed to halt the increase in effort. The number of peeler pot licenses is up 42% since 1994, and the number of crab pot licenses is up 34%. There are 469 new licenses since a cap on licenses in 1996, while there have been 38,850 additional pots licensed in 1998 and so far in 1999.

It is accepted wildlife and fisheries management practice to protect important species from excessive pressure until they have a chance to spawn, thus CCA VA advocates enactment of the following emergency protective measures immediately:

1. Prohibit the taking and possession of all female "sponge" crabs (those with eggs showing).

2. Prohibit all dredging of crabs. Many of the crabs taken by winter dredging are crabs that have been impregnated in the fall and will spawn after they emerge in the spring or early summer.

3. Revoke all crab licenses from those who have held them but haven't reported any landings for two of the last three years, including 1999. As many as 50% of people licensed to pot crabs do not crab. The amount of gear in the water (there is already too much) could potentially double, and the VMRC would be powerless to stop it.

4. Revoke the crab licenses from anyone who makes less than 50% of their income from commercial crabbing and/or fishing.

5. Increase the size limit on peelers and soft crabs, particularly during the early April-May shed when 60-70% of the peelers are females that haven't spawned once yet. (They get impregnated during their soft crab phase).

6. Reject the enabling legislation that was passed by the General Assembly in 1998, enabling bait in peeler pots and in 1999 allowing peeler and crab pots to be interchangeable. Both measures would increase pressure on crab stocks.

According to a VIMS proposal recreational crabbing and shell fishing generates over $100 million in economic activity in Virginia, but CCA VA Chairman Bob Pollard says "CCA is interested in crabs, primarily because 75% of Virginia's watermen make part or all of their living from crabs and collapse of the crab stocks would not only devastate watermen and their coastal communities, the pressure on already stressed fish and shellfish stocks that would increase as out of work crabbers turn to other species, would potentially trigger a domino effect of stock collapses throughout the bay." Pollard concluded that, "Everyone is complaining about dwindling crab stocks and the VMRC's lack of control, and we thought the CCA should put a common sense plan of action on the table." For further information call CCA VA at 757-481-1226 or visit them on the web at http://www.virginiamag.com/cca.