HAMPTON, Va. — The ban on winter crab dredging in Virginia waters has been lifted for the first time in over a decade, according to the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC).
The commission says its goal is to see if overall crab stocks still hold strong if dredging is reintroduced.
The winter crab dredge ban had been in place since 2008, meaning crabbing was only allowed from March until the middle of December in Virginia, according to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Until now, the commission had voted in favor of upholding the ban every year.
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However, the ban lift has been met with opposition, namely from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
In a release, the foundation raised concerns about how reintroducing winter crab dredging could put the Bay's strong crab population at risk.
"The winter dredge fishery primarily harvests female blue crabs, whose numbers declined by nearly 20 million in the recent annual estimate of blue crab numbers in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries," said the foundation. "This reduction in the estimated population was the focus of much of the opposition."
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The commission says the repeal of the ban won’t open a crab dredge fishery in Virginia. Only VMRC staff will be testing winter dredging to see if it’s possible to do without hurting the crab stock, according to the commission.
The commission says if year-round dredging doesn’t have a negative impact on the crab population, the commercial crabbing industry could be supported through the winter. This would avoid the job losses and loss of customers during the off-season, the commission added.
