Tag Archives: Virginia Waterman’s Association
Fishermen Thank Governor Youngkin for Declaring “Commercial Waterman Safety Week” in Response to Growing Threats
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has declared this week, September 15-21, 2024, ‘Commercial Waterman Safety Week.’ The governor’s proclamation recognizes that Virginia’s more than 1,500 commercial watermen ‘risk their lives sustaining a tradition passed down through generations,’ help generate over $1 billion in economic impact for the Commonwealth, and deserve ‘access to a secure and safe work environment. The Menhaden Fisheries Coalition and the Virginia Waterman’s Association are grateful to Governor Youngkin for recognizing the vital role of Virginia watermen, including menhaden fishermen and watermen harvesting crabs, oysters, clams, fish, and other shellfish. Governor Youngkin has taken important steps to ensure Virginia’s fishermen and watermen have a safe place to work on the water. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 19:15
Virginia crab management committee recommends fall, spring catch limit increase
A state committee on crab management is recommending increases to crab catch limits this fall and next spring but keeping in place the summer reductions instituted last year after surveys found the population had plummeted. The newest proposals follow the results of the 2023 Bay-wide Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey, which found that the number of blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay increased from 227 million in 2022 to 323 million in 2023. Improvements were seen across the board among adult males and females, as well as among juveniles. However, the juvenile numbers still remained among the six lowest recorded in the 34 years of the Winter Dredge Survey. >click to read< 16:27
Extended Va. Oyster Season Poised for Largest Harvest In 35 Years
With Virginia watermen enjoying their most bountiful wild harvest in 35 years, state fisheries managers have agreed to extend the season by two weeks. The Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) voted unanimously to allow wild oyster harvests for an extra 10 working days in areas where commission staff judged the bivalve populations abundant enough to withstand additional fishing pressure. “We’ve had a great oyster season, and it’s still going strong,” said J.C. Hudgins, head of the Virginia Waterman’s Association. “It’s been good everywhere we go.” Looking back, it’s quite a turnaround. >click to read< 07:36
Decline in Chesapeake crab population sparks hunt for answers
Commercial crabbers in Maryland and Virginia aren’t catching their limits, and the harvest in the first few months of the season was so meager that some gave up trying. “Crabs are so scarce that me and my son are still catfishing,” Billy Rice, a Charles County, MD, waterman, said in June. “We’re making more money catfishing than we would be crabbing.” Based on what they see on the water, crabbers have no shortage of theories about why the Bay’s most prized catch is hard to find: Changes in water quality, climate change and an influx of crab-eating fish top the list. Whatever the case, said J. C. Hudgins, president of the Virginia Waterman’s Association. “Mother Nature has throwed a wrench in the barrel.” >click to read< 14:23
