'Fishery disaster' sought for bay crabs | Maryland Gazette (HometownGlenBurnie.com)

"It's not only about saving crabs, it's about saving jobs and saving our way of life," U.S. Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski said during a news conference along the Fells Point waterfront Friday.

The request must be approved by the federal secretary of commerce. If a disaster declaration is made, it allows Congress to spend money to help affected communities and fishermen.

Ms. Mikulski and U.S. Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin, both D-Baltimore, said they would ask Congress for $15 million over three years, to be shared by Maryland and Virginia.

Gov. Martin O'Malley, a Democrat, joined Ms. Miklulski and Mr. Cardin in making the announcement following a closed-door meeting with watermen's representatives.

Mr. O'Malley sent the request to Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez Friday. Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, a Democrat, made a similar request.

"A declaration of a commercial fishery disaster would be the most efficient and expedient measure available to provide adequate and vital economic assistance," Mr. O'Malley wrote in his letter to the commerce secretary.

Any money from Congress would be on top of $3 million that the Maryland government plans to spend helping the seafood industry, perhaps through hiring watermen for environmental projects or giving grants to crab processors for equipment upgrades.

Officials say the money is needed to help people in the seafood industry stay afloat as stricter restrictions are put in place for catching female crabs. Maryland and Virginia aim to reduce the female catch by 34 percent, starting this year, to allow more females to survive and spawn more juvenile crabs.

The population of crabs is dropping so low that soon it may not be large enough to sustain a robust harvest, scientists say.

Surveys show a declining population of adult crabs, Mr. O'Malley noted. "If that trajectory were to continue, the entire crab population would implode," he said.