Virginia votes to resume winter crab dredging

[Afrikeber]

Sad for Marylands Chesapeake waterways and fisheries.

No crabs impacts the bay biodiversity of fish to include rockfish.

 

[winch]

Way to go VA. 1st you do blue catfish now this.

 

[mauser58]

First thing VA needs to do is kick Omega out of the Bay.

I was thinking the same thing. I was talking about this to others a few days ago. Omega proteins came in the bay years ago and trawlers raping all the menhaden and alewives from the lower bay. They dont have time to even make it up the bay. The fish in the bay follow these schools and is a main diet to Striped Bass and even white perch. The DNR had to ban rock fishing in 1985 till 1990. Then at the time I used to catch the bluefish of large size up far north in the bay.. The bluefish also followed these schools and fed on them. Look what happened next. No large bluefish at all in the middle to upper bay like it was. Then Rock fish decline and the DNR blame everything else for it.

 

[Wild Bill]

Bastards...

This will absolutely damage the crab stock throughout the Chesapeake.

Maryland Department of Natural Resources Strongly Disagrees with Virginia’s Decision to Reopen Long Closed Blue Crab Winter Dredge Fishery

news.maryland.gov

So True!

 

[Wild Bill]

You are spot on.

 

[OC_Guy]

Amazing that Italy has an infestation and they think that's a problem!

 

[joppaj]

Amazing that Italy has an infestation and they think that's a problem!

The fact that we haven't started exporting steamer pots and Old Bay to Italy is a wasted opportunity.

 

[John from MD]

I was thinking the same thing. I was talking about this to others a few days ago. Omega proteins came in the bay years ago and trawlers raping all the menhaden and alewives from the lower bay. They dont have time to even make it up the bay. The fish in the bay follow these schools and is a main diet to Striped Bass and even white perch. The DNR had to ban rock fishing in 1985 till 1990. Then at the time I used to catch the bluefish of large size up far north in the bay.. The bluefish also followed these schools and fed on them. Look what happened next. No large bluefish at all in the middle to upper bay like it was. Then Rock fish decline and the DNR blame everything else for it.

The fish oil lovers must be paying off the demonrats as even a blind man knows that taking all the baitfish (and side kills) is going to radically change the makeup of the bay.

 

[Derwood]

Such a shame. The beautiful swimming blue crab has multiple enemies in the Bay.

Winter dredging in Virginia (getting worse)
Menhaden harvest in Virginia (getting worse)
Female crab harvesting (go ahead and argue with me...it's a bad idea until population is fully recovered)
Blue catfish (getting worse)
Conowingo Dam & limitless nutrient pollution from NY/PA/the Susquehanna (no sign of improvement)
Sewage plants on the Bay/Tributaries that are poorly maintained and run (e.g. Baltimore) that produce nutrient pollution (no sign of improvement other than Blue Plains in the Anacostia)
Destruction of oysters that clarify the water and help grass grow (this is getting better)
Clam harvesting (no sign of improvement)
Chicken manure containment (this is getting better)
Replacement of tidal marsh with rock walls around development (getting worse mostly other than a few good projects)
Private poorly maintained/legacy septic systems (slowly improving)

The states need to actually cooperate on this stuff. The sewage treatment problem is the #1 issue based on my research. I've been following this closely for 20 years. It's not a mystery...we know what works. These surveys are likely flawed. We all know nutrient pollution creates algae blooms that die off and smother all life. We all know female crabs produce eggs. We all know blue cats eat small crabs. We all know oysters can rapidly clarify the water. We all know crabs need small fish and clams to eat.

 

[swinokur]

First oysters, now crabs

 

[OC_Guy]

" . . . , meaning female harvest will increase." Makes no sense with dwindling populations.

 

[mpollan1]

No no, you got it all wrong. Virginia is going to solve the Blue Cat problem they caused by eliminating a food source for the Blue Cat thereby knocking down the numbers.

 

[hobiecat590]

CLA, (Chesapeake Legal Alliance) is suing VA over Omega ignoring already too generous Menhaden quotas. I know the president and will ask if they will sue over VA's latest crab abomination. This is a worthy tax deductible organization that is actually trying to do something about saving the Bay.

CLA Files Petition for Rulemaking in Menhaden Case - Chesapeake Legal Alliance

On Friday, October 6th, Judge Campbell issued a decision in CLA's menhaden case regarding the VMRC's Motion to Dismiss the case.

www.chesapeakelegal.org

 

[Archeryrob]

Allowing dredging and stating they would like to see bay grasses restored is oxymoronic. They say they want to save the bay and then let people lobby to make changes to continue raping it. I am fully convinced Save the Bay has become a cash cow for people and not a enterprise to fix anything except the emptiness of a few people bank accounts.

Same with Omega protein and then wondering my there is dead zones in the bay from dying algae. Kill the bulk of the filter feeders and pretend to wonder why the algae runs away and creates dead zones. Remove a link from the food chain and it breaks.

This is all due to corruption and he who pays the most gets to do the destruction for personal gain whilst they say they are trying to make it better.

 

[mpollan1]

Huuuuuge pods of dolphin above the Bay bridge. They are not there for the scenery, they're after forage.

 

[hobiecat590]

Allowing dredging and stating they would like to see bay grasses restored is oxymoronic. They say they want to save the bay and then let people lobby to make changes to continue raping it. I am fully convinced Save the Bay has become a cash cow for people and not a enterprise to fix anything except the emptiness of a few people bank accounts.

Same with Omega protein and then wondering my there is dead zones in the bay from dying algae. Kill the bulk of the filter feeders and pretend to wonder why the algae runs away and creates dead zones. Remove a link from the food chain and it breaks.

This is all due to corruption and he who pays the most gets to do the destruction for personal gain whilst they say they are trying to make it better.

Yep. It would be cheaper just to pay them all not to fish and crab like the Dept of AG pays farmers not to plant. This is why I am getting reactivated in CCA, (Coastal Conservation Association) that deserve your support.