Bastion on the bay
Maryland's Smith Island is a historical haven for Chesapeake Bay watermen
By Charlie Petrocci
Unpredictable. That's the only way to describe crabbing on the Chesapeake Bay. Like the tides that sustain them, annual crabbing harvests have been undulating in numbers since records have been kept.
Eddie Evans Jr. is one of a dedicated group of watermen who still call Smith Island, Md., home and depend on the seasonal crab industry. "This is really all we got here. Some boys do a little gillnetting or oystering in the winter months, but it's crabs that keep us alive," says Evans. Like most watermen who fish the Chesapeake, he knows regulations are what may help the industry survive.
Responding to slow recruitment of surviving female crabs, Maryland — in an unprecedented collaboration with Virginia — set new harvest regulations for female blue crabs in 2008. And it may have worked, because the summer harvest of 2010 was one of the best on record, eventually causing prices of crab to drop because of a glut in the market.
Recently, Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley announced the 2008 regulations are now paying off, with the bay crab population believed to be the highest since 1997. "Our ultimate goal is a self-sustaining fishery that will support our industry over the long term." But this year's winter freeze took its toll, with the loss of many female crabs reported as a result of the cold.
Though the numbers look good so far for a good year, many Smith Island watermen know you can't count crabs until they're in the basket. "Regulating commercial fisheries in the bay is by no means easy," says Gibby Dean, president of the new, growing Chesapeake Bay Commercial Fishermen's Association. "The crabbing issues of the upper bay do not necessarily reflect the issues that affect the Smith Island area of the bay. Smith Island is remote, and we want to make sure those watermen know what's going on with any new regulations that can impact their livelihoods."
Everyone — including watermen, scientists, and even restaurant owners — knows regulations are needed in one form or another. It's just that everyone also has his own opinion on which management method to implement, and that makes for a strange brew. Many Chesapeake watermen question the validity of state employees counting crabs. As one opinionated seafood operator put it, "They don't even know how many illegal aliens are in the state, so how the hell do they know how many crabs are in the bay?" But Smith Island watermen are used to juggling numbers — fishing season dates, sizes of crabs, bushel amounts and how many new, younger watermen will fill in behind them. And if things don't get better, many say their number may be up.
Callifornia crabbing: Here's a fun video shot on the decks of the Majestik while catching Dungeness crab off the coast of northern California.
Alaska fisherman and commercial fisheries activist Kevin Adams was elected chairman at the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute board of directors meeting on May 9 in Anchorage.
The governor-appointed board consists of seven members: five seafood processors and two industry representatives actively engaged in commercial fishing. Adams was appointed to fill a harvester seat by Gov. Frank Murkowski in 2004.
With 38 years of fishing experience in Bristol Bay, Adams has long been an active member in the Alaska fishing industry, ASMI says. He has worked for both the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation and the Bering Sea Fisherman's Association, and represents Alaska fishermen on numerous boards.
The Northeast Regional Planning Body, a group of state, tribal and federal representatives from New England who are working to implement the National Ocean Policy and address critical New England ocean issues, is holding a series of public meetings in May and June.
The meetings are being held to discuss draft regional ocean planning goals and associated potential actions. The planning body seeks input on these goals and actions. Additional information on the group's progress can be found here.
The meetings will also provide an opportunity to review draft maps and products from initial efforts to gather information on the natural resources and diverse uses of the ocean, including fishing, transportation, energy and infrastructure, aquaculture, and recreation.
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