Protecting the Female Blue Crab

"MD sharply reduces crabbing hours"
Salisbury Daily Times - September 14, 1995

Dear Olya and everybody else,

Hi!! This is Megan. I just read a newspaper and it had some news about the Maryland crabbing law. In the newspaper it said that the state of Maryland just past a law that now people can only crab on certain days and they are closing crabbing season one and a half months earlier. Also watermen are not allowed to catch many female blue crabs. Another newspaper said that north of the Chesapeake Bay bridge where Sunday business is important they can crab on Sunday but they can't crab on Mondays. And people south of the bridge will still be kept from crabbing on Sundays.

Your Friend,
Megan Dickerson

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Well, kids, the Maryland crabbers are probably really 'crabby' tonight. Yesterday a special Maryland legislative committee seriously reduced the amount of time Maryland waterman can do their crabbing in the Chesapeake Bay. The fate of the blue crab is at stake here according to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. The watermen are not happy because it will negatively impact their business. Virginia has not made such rulings and this angers the Maryland watermen. The female blue crab migrates toward the mouth of the Bay to spawn in the fall and winter months. The watermen feel that Virginia will benefit from this temporary law while their business will suffer.

Olya, Michael and David, what kinds of laws does your country/city pass to protect the wildlife where you live?

Leslie, Jeremy, Megan and Beth... We live in an area where many families make their living from the Chesapeake Bay. How would you convince a waterman that this new law is necessary and will ultimately be good for all?

Here are two articles from The Shore Journal written by our favorite octogenarian, Michael Paparella.

• The Magnificent Oyster - No More
• The Well Tempered Crustacean

Michael and David's teacher, Mr. Burleigh, is pictured holding a Maryland steamed crab.

Patti
(Mrs. Weeg)