THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, November 18, 1995 TAG: 9511181650
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: By SCOTT HARPER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 59 lines
The president of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation is appealing directly to Gov. George F. Allen to tighten catch limits on blue crabs in Virginia waters.
In a letter released Friday, William C. Baker urges the governor to enact new restrictions on declining crab stocks by Jan. 1, and to push for a baywide restoration plan at an upcoming meeting of the Chesapeake Bay Executive Council, which Allen chairs.
The governor responded through a spokesman that he remains uncommitted to new regulations, given incomplete scientific data on the crab's predicament and the fact that Virginia just enacted a package of new harvest rules last fall.
``At this point, I don't think the governor supports any new limits,'' said Deputy Secretary of Natural Resources Tom Hopkins. ``Like all of us, he's concerned. And he'll continue to monitor the situation.''
Baker wrote to Allen after the foundation orchestrated a lobbying campaign that poured more than 6,000 postcards from constituents onto the governor's desk.
In an interview, Baker said the cards represent ``a tremendous statement of concern from the public'' about the fate of the region's most valuable seafood resource.
The 1995 hard crab harvest in Virginia, which ends Nov. 30, is projected to be the lowest in 36 years, and half of what it was just two years ago.
Other evidence of a population crunch: the number of female crabs has declined each year since 1991, studies suggest, and the average size of mature males and females has dropped over the years.
The Virginia Institute of Marine Science has described the current population as ``in a low phase of abundance.'' Its leading crab expert, Rom Lipcius, recently amended that stance somewhat by noting how the number of spawning females appears to be the lowest since 1988.
``Given what we know, it would be almost unbelievable to me if (Virginia) did nothing more'' to protect crabs, Baker said.
In response to the lobbying campaign, the governor asked the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, which regulates crabbing and other fisheries in state waters, to compose a rebuttal letter.
Signed by all nine members of the commission, the Nov. 6 letter states that a seven-point protection package approved last October ``will contribute significantly to the recovery of the resource over the next several years.''
Restrictions imposed earlier this year by Maryland received more press attention that those passed last fall in Virginia, the letter says, and citizens should not be swayed from thinking the commonwealth is being lax.
``It is important to recognize that the commission is not a johnny-come-lately to this issue,'' the letter continues, ``and it has attempted to be responsive to all available scientific data and the needs of user communities.'' by CNB