Letter to The Honorable Carlos Gutierrez, Secretary, U.S. Department of Commerce

Letter

WEBB URGES DISASTER DESIGNATION FOR BLUE CRAB FISHERY IN CHESEAPEAKE BAY

Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) has led a bipartisan coalition of the Virginia Congressional Delegation in urging the Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez to grant federal disaster assistance for Chesapeake Bay watermen to alleviate the economic impact caused by new regulations and declining numbers of blue crabs. The May 21st letter was co-signed by Senator John Warner (R-VA), Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA), Congressman Rob Wittman (R-VA) and Congresswoman Thelma Drake (R-VA) and comes on the heels of similar letters from Virginia Governor Tim Kaine and Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley urging disaster assistance.

Earlier this year, due to environmental stresses and a sharp decline in the Bay's blue crab population, strict new restrictions were put in place to reduce the harvest of female crabs by 34%. The economic impact of these restrictions on Virginia is estimated to total $11-$15 million over the next three years.

"The Chesapeake Bay is an invaluable resource to both the people and economy of Virginia," said Senator Webb. "While these fishing restrictions are necessary to ensure that the blue crab fishery recovers and is available for future generations, it's also clear they will directly hit the pocketbooks of Virginia's watermen, which is why this disaster designation is so critical."

"I intend to continue to work with Governor Kaine, the Virginia Congressional delegation and the Secretary of Commerce to address the pressing needs of the Bay's watermen," continued Webb.

The Senate last week voted to provide $75 million in disaster assistance to fisheries affected by state regulations and fishery resource disasters. A federal disaster declaration would help address the pressing needs of the Chesapeake Bay watermen by allowing the community to secure a portion of that assistance from the Department of Commerce, if the measure is approved by the House and signed into law by the President.

Below is a copy of the letter sent to Secretary Gutierrez:

May 21, 2008

The Honorable Carlos Gutierrez
Secretary
U.S. Department of Commerce
1401 Constitution Ave, NW
Washington, DC 21230

Dear Secretary Gutierrez:

We are writing to urge you to declare a Fishery Resource Disaster for the blue crab fishery in the Chesapeake Bay. We understand that Virginia Governor Tim Kaine and Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley have recently requested this declaration under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. We sincerely hope that the Commerce Department will be able to accommodate this request.

The Chesapeake blue crab fishery is estimated to have an economic impact of $125 million throughout the Chesapeake Bay. The importance of this resource, both in economic as well as cultural terms, to Chesapeake Bay watermen and communities cannot be overstated.

The blue crab fishery has been distressed for some time. Nearly fifteen years ago, scientific data suggests that there were approximately 400 million crabs of harvestable size in the waters of the Chesapeake Bay. However, due to a variety of factors, those numbers are at 120 million crabs today. This represents a drop of 70 percent from early 1990s levels to today. The Commonwealth of Virginia and the State of Maryland have each taken painful regulatory steps to address the decline in blue crab population; however, recent data suggests that the crab population has not rebounded and scientific warnings prompted the need for even more painful steps to be taken.

Fisheries experts warned the Governors of Virginia and Maryland that, given the tenuous state of blue crabs, a single large storm event could lead to a complete collapse of the blue crab fishery in the Chesapeake Bay. Taking heed to this warning, Virginia and Maryland regulators recently enacted more stringent policies designed to reduce the harvest of female crabs by 34 percent in 2008. These steps were not taken easily and are having harsh economic repercussions throughout the fishing communities of the Bay.

It should be noted that Virginia and the federal government are taking great strides to improve water quality throughout the Bay watershed. Virginia has already invested $700 million in cleaning up point source pollution in its waterways and rivers. In addition, the Chesapeake Bay Congressional delegation worked to secure more than $400 million in the Farm Bill to assist farmers in the Bay watershed reduce non-point source pollution in the Chesapeake Bay. We have confidence that these steps will gradually help to improve ecosystems and habitats within the Bay and will have measurable benefits for its fisheries, like blue crabs.

Regulations at the state level as well as long-term investments in improving water quality will take several years before the blue crab fishery can recover; however, our watermen cannot wait that long. Virginia estimates that the strict crab management polices enacted by the Virginia Marine Resource Commission could have a negative economic impact of $11 - $15 million over the next three years. As such, Virginia is seeking federal fisheries disaster assistance to assist our watermen during these times of economic hardship. Federal disaster relief assistance is urgently needed and we look forward to working with you to address any questions or concerns you may have with this designation.

Thank you for your consideration of this request.

Sincerely,

John Warner Jim Webb
United States Senate United States Senate

Bobby Scott Thelma Drake
Member of Congress Member of Congress

Rob Wittman
Member of Congress

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