
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, July 2, 1990                   TAG: 9007020116
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: A8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

FUTURE UNCERTAIN FOR CRAB FISHING

The hard-shelled blue crab harvest in the Chesapeake Bay has climbed for the past three years, but a fishery manager says there are warning signs that the haul one day may be unable to keep up with growing market demand.

Harvests have increased from 33.5 million pounds in 1987 to 37 million pounds in 1988 to 43.1 million pounds in 1989, making the blue crab the No. 1 commercial catch in the bay.

Recent harvest increases likely are a function of increased fishing in the bay, said Jack Travelstead, chief of fisheries management for the Virginia Marine Resources Commission.

The species are pursued virtually year-round, by crab potters in the spring and summer and dredgers in the fall and winter.

Fishing pressure has increased recently as the bay's once-famous oyster fishery collapsed and stringent conservation laws remain in place to ensure the recovery of the estuary's rockfish stocks.

"In the 1950s, we issued about 1,000 crab pot licenses," Travelstead said. "In the 1970s that number rose to around 1,300 to 1,400. Now throughout the 1980s, we've gotten as high as 2,400."

Dredging has also increased from about 100 boats in the 1950s to a fleet of about 250, he said.

Fishers are also using larger rigs of crab pots.

"Years ago, the average waterman fished 150 pots. Now, he's fishing 400 to 500," Travelstead said. "What's worrisome is that while catches have held their own and are generally around the 20-year average, it's taken considerably more effort to produce that catch than it did 20 years ago,' Travelstead said.

by CNB