Peyton Robertson, Director, NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office Frank Dawson, Assistant Secretary, MD DNR Jeff Corbin, Assistant Secretary, VA Natural

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1 Peyton Robertson, Director, NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office Frank Dawson, Assistant Secretary, MD DNR Jeff Corbin, Assistant Secretary, VA Natural Resources

2 Baywide Harvest Harvest (Millions of Pounds) Bay wide harvest adjusted for reporting changes Mea n Year

3 Age 1+ Abundance

4 Exploitation Fraction

5 Predicted Harvest % Prediction intervals for harvest Predicted annual harvest Observed annual harvest 120 Observed 2007 harvest (43.5 million lbs) Predicted 2008 harvest (49 million lbs) Baywide Harvest (Millions of Pounds) y = x R 2 = Crab Abundance (Millions of Crabs)

6 2008 Blue Crab Advisory Report Population remained below long term average Population of spawning age blue crabs in was 120 million, down from 143 million in Interim rebuilding target set at 200 million Baywide harvest ~43.5 million pounds was lowest recorded since The number of juvenile blue crabs entering the population increased slightly from the previous year, but remained well below the average. The abundance of mature females, or spawning potential, was also found to be below average.

7 Maryland/Virginia Joint Request for Federal Fishery Disaster Declaration May 2, 2008 Kaine/O Malley requested a disaster assistance evaluation by NOAA/NMFS Based on commercial fishery losses due to adverse environmental conditions and over harvesting Adverse environmental conditions including: Loss of SAV and oyster reef habitat Declines in water quality Over abundance of native/non native predators Decimation of key prey species

8 Fishery Disaster Determination NOAA concurred with final documentation submitted by MD/VA that: Not any one factor appears solely responsible for noted declines in the blue crab resource. Rather, the decline was likely due to a combination of excess fishing pressure and other factors including loss of critical habitat, water quality, elevated predator abundance, and loss of blue crab prey sources. Further review concluded that a substantive reduction of 41% occurred in the soft and peeler blue crab commercial fishery.

9 NOAA/NMFS Fishery Disaster Declaration September 22, 2008: Secretary of Commerce declared a commercial fishery failure for the blue crab soft and peeler fishery due to 41% decline in landings baywide November 18, 2008: NOAA/NMFS announced up to $10 million would be made available for each state to assist watermen economically hurt due to the commercial fishery failure

10 Maryland Draft 3 Year Spending Plan December 16, 2008: Maryland Department of Natural Resources submits draft spending plan to NOAA/NMFS December 19, 2008: DNR receives tentative approval of plan from NMFS

11 Maryland Draft 3 Year Spending Plan Restructure The Blue Crab Fishery License Buy Backs Management Supported Stock Assessment and Cooperative Research Joint Va/Md Benchmark Stock Assessment Research: Cull rings, biodegradable panels, female migration patterns, peeler mortality studies Enforcement Crabmeat Quality Assurance Program

12 Maryland Draft 3 Year Spending Plan Economic and Diversification Opportunities Oyster Aquaculture Training and Education Oyster Aquaculture Infrastructure grants Maritime and Heritage Geo Tourism Training Rehabilitate Blue Crab Habitat Oyster Bar Rehabilitation Derelict (Ghost) Pot Removal

13 VA Draft 3 Year Spending Plan 1. Restructures the fishery by removing excess effort that has led to overcapacity 2. Promotes alternative employment opportunities for crabbers (e.g. aquaculture, Ghost Pots) 3. Improves the science of crab management (cull ring studies, new stock assessment).

14 VA Draft 3 Year Spending Plan Restructure the Fishery Recent VMRC Action Approximately 444 crab pot and 288 peeler pot licenses on hold. License Buy Outs Bid Process Priority to Active Licenses

15 VA Draft 3 Year Spending Plan Alternative Employment Ghost Pot Removal Project Native Oyster Restoration bar cleaning studies Transition to Oyster Aquaculture Caged Spat on Shell (Tiered)

16 VA Draft 3 Year Spending Plan Improved Science Employ Crabbers to the max extent possible Cull Ring Studies Terrapin Excluders Updated Stock Assessment Last updated in 2005 (using 2003 fisheries data)

17 Marine Debris Location & Removal Plan Target participants Virginia winter crab dredgers (58) Goal Locate and remove derelict crab pots and other marine debris from Virginia tidal waters Timeframe December through mid March

18 600kHz Side Scan Sonar images Crab traps with buoy lines Tire

19 Conducted derelict crab pot census survey in lower York River to assess problem. Sarah Creek Survey area

20 York River Marine Debris Survey Jan/Feb 2006 (Off season) 33.5 Square Kilometers surveyed Side Scan track lines

21

22 Species caught in ghost pots Oyster toadfish Blue crab Atlantic croaker Spot Scup White perch Black seabass Pigfish Red Drum Striped bass Atlantic spadefish Bluefish Summer flounder Muskrat Diamondback terrapin Photo courtesy of NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office

23 Data suggests about 50 market size blue crabs are captured by each functional derelict crab trap per season (about a bushel). Source: Havens, KJ, D. Bilkovic, D. Stanhope, K. Angstadt, and C. Hershner The effects of derelict blue crab traps on marine organisms in the lower York River, Virginia. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 28:

24 Program Specifics Participants outfitted and trained on Humminbird side imaging units for locating marine debris. Each participant vessel paid $300/day plus $100 for fuel costs. Each participant can be paid for 50 days work (48 field days, 1 training day, 1 vessel outfitting day). Each participant allotted $50/week to transport debris to landfill or trash transfer station. Each participant outfitted with waterproof digital camera. Each participant outfitted with data sheet. Data sheet developed in cooperation with NOAA Marine Debris Program.

25 Total area to be worked: approximately 902,000 acres Approximately 561,000 acres Bayside Sample from Tangier One participant, four days: 12/19,12/23,12/24,12/26 Approximately 341,000 acres Seaside Track lines with 74 pots marked Other data to be downloaded this week. Some participants began working in late December and have reported verbally of a couple hundred pots already retrieved.