Feds give $20M to pinched crabbers

The federal government will issue up to $20 million to watermen affected by stricter crabbing regulations in the Chesapeake Bay, officials announced yesterday.

The money will be split 50-50 between Maryland and Virginia watermen.

Though the money is $10 million less than the two states asked for, Maryland's congressmen and senators issued a joint statement praising the funding.

"This announcement is great news for Maryland. This is about lives and livelihoods in a struggling economy," said Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, who led the effort to get the money.

Earlier this year, the governors of the two states agreed to a series of regulations aimed at cutting down the crab harvest and allowing more females to survive and produce the next generation of crustaceans.

Scientists have warned that the crab population is plummeting because too many crabs are being harvested each year.

Then state and federal politicians stepped in and asked the federal government to declare the crab fishery a disaster, based on the new restrictions and other problems, such as pollution.

Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez made the disaster declaration in September.

Commerce Department officials pored over data supplied by the two states and found that the industry is suffering.

The financial hardship has been toughest among those who harvest large numbers of soft crabs and peeler crabs, which are crabs about to molt. The soft and peeler industry has seen a 41 percent decline, said Monica Allen, a spokesman for the

National Marine Fisheries Service, which is part of the Commerce Department.

The states will come up with plans for how the money will be used. A statement issued by Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley indicates the money will be used for "habitat restoration, fishery monitoring and retraining for industry diversification into aquaculture opportunities."

"The funding offers a bridge to support the infrastructure of our hallmark blue crab fishery and helps ensure a stronger industry for the future," Mr. O'Malley said.

How quickly the money is dispersed will depend on when the states file their plans with the federal government. There is no deadline.

"We know the governors of Virginia and Maryland have been thinking about this for awhile, so we expect it to go quickly," Ms. Allen said.

Eric Schwaab, a deputy secretary of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, said the plan will be filed in a week or two. He called it "priority one" for his agency.

If approved, the programs will help watermen and crabs in the short term and the long term, Mr. Schwaab said.

"What we want to do is make it less likely we're here again in five years," he said.

Sam Rauch, a deputy director of the National Marine Fisheries Service, said his agency likes the ideas so far, such as boosting aquaculture and completing environmental projects that would benefit crabs.

"All of these things we think are very good. We are looking to long-term solutions to the problem," he said.

Mr. Rauch said the projects are preferable to say, cutting a check for affected watermen. "It does not appear to be a short-term decline where you just say, 'Get them through the season,' " he said.

A state program to help affected watermen already is under way. Hundreds of watermen signed up for restoration work with the Department of Natural Resources and the nonprofit Oyster Recovery Partnership this fall and next spring.

While priority was given to crabbers, the work was open to all commercial watermen. One of the first projects is taking place this week on the Severn River, where hired watermen are preparing an oyster reef to be planted with baby oysters.

The state program is providing about $3 million worth of work to watermen. The money came from the state budget.