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Crabbers blast plan to freeze licenses

By PAMELA WOOD, Staff Writer

Published 02/05/09

About 100 crabbers packed into a meeting in Annapolis last night to send a message to the Department of Natural Resources: Don't take away the licenses of part-time watermen.

Pamela Wood - The Capital
Crabber Charles Phillips speaks out against a proposal to freeze the licenses of certain watermen who have been inactive in recent years. It's one of several crabbing regulations for 2009 that were discussed during a Department of Natural Resources meeting at Calvary United Methodist Church in Annapolis.

DNR officials are pushing a proposal to temporarily freeze the licenses of certain watermen who didn't catch any crabs in the past five years.

Most of the affected watermen are part-timers who haven't crabbed for a variety of reasons: illness, caring for family, commitments at their full-time jobs, the rising cost of bait and fuel.

The only watermen affected are those who hold a limited commercial crabbing license, a type of...

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The Crabs - 2009-02-06 14:48:04

The crabs are not yours. They belong to the earth. You have no right to them. Leave the animals alone if you can't help them. They do not belong to you. They are not property. They are living, breathing entities. Unabashed greed is just amazing in this area.

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S. Abbott - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Terrible

Just wondering - 2009-02-06 09:24:28

I wonder why we can't pay waterman not to crab like we pay farmers not farm some of their land.Is it because this is mostly a cash business and that no one knows the real catch numbers? really curious about this if anyone has a thought i would like to hear it

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edward madden - edgewater, MD - Karma: Bad

Family tradition - 2009-02-05 22:33:49

I attended last night's hearing with my husband and grandson.My husband's family has held there LCC
license for 40 plus years.His licence was left to him when his father passed away in June 2001.Judging by the age and comments of most of the watermen there I would say they also have a family history much like my husband. I think it is unfair to say this group of watermen are crabbing and not reporting there harvest.I also feel that to propose this kind of action with no prior notice is also unfair. The DNR spokesman said that this proposal would keep these waterman
who for many different reasons have not crabbed for serveral years from crabbing and in dangering the blue crab population.
my question is if the DNR issues a
limited number of LCC license's why
would this group be any different.
I hope that everyone that is affected by this proposal with contact your local officals as we plan to do.

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susan meiklejohn - annapolis, MD - Karma: Bad

Crabbing - 2009-02-05 22:11:49

Needs to be put on hold for 5 years. Give the crabs a chance to come back like the Rockfish. Any crabber who needs a job during this time can work for the CBF helping to restore the Bay.

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Nick W. - Davidsonville, MD - Karma: Neutral

How unfair can they be! - 2009-02-05 19:26:24

Not only are they trying to penalize the honest watermen. But they are also penalizing the people who are not cause of the dropping number of the crab population. How unfair is it to just out of the blue, descide to just make a choice without any warning. If us part-time waterman would have had a better advance notice then we could have at least gone out and caught ONE CRAB!!!!! Just to make the DNR happy and we wouldn't even be having this problem. My family was told that if we would have just reported ONE CRAB a year, then we wouldn't have a problem. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!! This license has been in my family for over 60 years, and now because I haven't been part of deminishing the crab poplutation, now they want to take that away from me. I got news for everyone who stands in the same boat that I am. LET'S NOT LET THIS HAPPEN WE HAVE TO STAND TOGETHER AND FIGHT THIS UNFAIR, UNJUST, AND IMMORAL ACTION THAT IS BEING TAKEN AGAINST US!

Joseph Meiklejohn, Annapolis MD

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Joseph Meiklejohn - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Bad

Crabbers - 2009-02-05 19:06:19

Why would the DNR waste there time on this issue? i guss this is one way for the large corporation and the resurant industry to allow the importation of filthy crap meat from Thailand. Leave the small guys alone and go after the large greed filled coporations and resturants.

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Jeff Knewall - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Bad

As usual - 2009-02-05 17:54:42

The Gov't blames the folks that aren't causing the problem.

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Emma Giles - West River, MD - Karma: Neutral

Who's sorry now.... - 2009-02-05 15:45:28

The waterman who are screaming the loudest are the one's who have been dishonest and have crabbing but have not reported their catch for the last five years...so, who's to blame?

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J. Glenn - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Bad

Who's sorry now..... - 2009-02-05 15:12:15

The waterman who are screaming the loudest are the one's who have been dishonest and have crabbing but have not reported their catch for the last five years...so, who's to blame?

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J. Glenn - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Bad