The Washington Times
Crab license reinstated — There's been a lot of confusion about Maryland's recreational crabbing license, even at the Department of Natural Resources. A reader called to tell us no one at the DNR's license office even knew whether there was one. Now, the DNR's Fisheries Service will have a public hearing to talk about emergency and permanent Chesapeake Bay blue crab regulations, which will also re-establish the recreational crabbing license and set catch limits for crabs in Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries.
The public hearing at 7 p.m. on March 10 will cover the 2004 proposed permanent regulatory changes for commercial and recreational crabbers. Proposals include modifying the times for setting and harvesting with crab scrapes, and permit the taking of hard crabs from pound nets, fyke nets and hoop nets for watermen who are licensed to fish and crab. The hearing will be at the DNR headquarters, in the C-1 Conference Room, Tawes State Office Building, 580 Taylor Ave., Annapolis. The 2004 regulations are available at the Fisheries Service Web site,
www.dnr.state.md.us.
