NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — There will be fewer female blue crabs harvested in Virginia over the next year in an effort to rebuild their population.
Over the objection of watermen that depend on catching and selling crabs for their livelihood, the Virginia Marine Resources Commission voted 4 to 2 on Tuesday to reduce the harvest of female blue crabs by 10 percent of the 2013 catch starting July 5 and lasting through July 4, 2015.
Officials say the move should help increase spawning potential and help reverse the depleted condition of female blue crabs, which tend to congregate in the southern part of the Chesapeake Bay. Male blue crabs tend to be found more often in the northern part of the bay in Maryland.
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