ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, December 23, 1995 TAG: 9512250050
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: TANGIER
SOURCE: Associated Press
Students at Tangier Island's only school are waging a letter-writing campaign to urge Gov. George Allen to go easy on restricting crab harvests.
``We just wanted to get the governor's attention,'' said Shelli Crockett, a 17-year-old senior at the island's consolidated school.
Crockett and the 11 other students in this year's senior class took note of reports that Virginia officials are considering a new round of measures to preserve stocks of Chesapeake Bay blue crabs.
With this year's projected 25 million-pound catch expected to be the worst in 36 years, the Virginia Marine Resources Commission is holding public hearings on proposals to curb fishing.
Chief among the proposals is a freeze on the number of crabbing licenses issued next year and a prohibition against watermen setting more than 300 pots.
The proposals follow seven new restrictions imposed at the beginning of this year's season.
``Everyone here understands we need some restrictions, but we think people are going overboard,'' Crockett said
The students came up with a form letter and are circulating it around the island for signatures before sending the letters to Allen.
The letters warn the governor that the 300-pot limit ``would be hard to enforce and would cause many mates to lose their jobs."
The blue crab is the last great money crop for Virginia watermen
LENGTH: Short : 37 linesby CNB