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The Virginian-Pilot
© May 13, 2008

Whether Chesapeake Bay watermen win a federal disaster declaration, and the money that might flow from it, Maryland and Virginia still have an obligation to see them through the crab crisis the states helped cause and are now trying to solve.

The states have new rules designed to reduce the harvest of female crabs by 34 percent, and to give a crashing fishery the chance to recover from decades of nutrient pollution, toxics and overfishing.

When the states announced new limits on harvests earlier this year, and promised more to come, they were finally reacting to the latest symptom of a long-standing problem. Sadly, for the watermen and for everyone fond of their imperiled catch, the cause of the Bay's problems remain to be addressed with similar vigor.

The Chesapeake's woes are rooted in the fertilizer that farmers put on crops and suburban home-owners deposit on lawns; the outflow from inadequate sewage treatment and broken septic systems; the chemicals that run off roads and parking lots each time it rains; the detergents used to clean dishes and clothes. All that stuff, when it washes into waterways, disrupts the ecosystem of the Bay and the economy it supports.

Until permanent changes are made to the behavior of the watershed's human inhabitants, disruptions like the Bay has seen in the crab population and other species will be unavoidable. In the meantime, however, both states have an obligation to those suffering in the current crisis.

The governors have taken the extraordinary step of asking the Commerce Department for a federal disaster designation, a first step to get Congress to appropriate money for crabbers and the businesses that depend on them. But the Commerce Department could also decide the crisis was avoidable, or a cash-strapped Congress could do nothing.

The federal response doesn't satisfy the obligation Maryland and Virginia and - quite directly - their citizens, have to the watermen downstream from their lawns and businesses and farms. If the federal government won't provide aid, state governments must.

Whether they like it or not, the tremendous growth in the suburbs of both states has done serious harm to the Chesapeake Bay and, by extension, to the watermen. The least all those new citizens can do is help their neighbors in a time of need.

        

Send emails to Virginia's US Senators asking them to support the decision for a Fishery Resource Disaster here in the Commonwealth of Virginia!

Senator Webb's Contact Page

Please copy and paste the following in your email to Senator Webb or add your own:

The Honorable Tim Webb

Dear Senator Webb,
As you are aware, Governor Kaine has requested that US Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez  perform a disaster assistance evaluation pertaining to Virginia’s Blue Crab fishery and ultimately declare a Fishery Resource Disaster.

I urge you to support Secretary Gutierrez in his decision.  Any funds resulting from such a declaration would help to offset the financial losses suffered by the Virginia Watermen as new regulations, loss of habitat, and rising fuel costs greatly inhibit the watermen’s ability to earn a living.

Additionally, I would like for you to know that I support and Virginia waterman, the work of the Virginia Watermen's Association (http://virginiawaterman.org/), and a clean healthy Bay.  Please help to preserve these cultural and natural resources that are vital to Virginia.

Sincerely

Senator Warner's Contact Page

Please copy and paste the following in your email to Senator Warner or add your own:

The Honorable John Warner

Dear Senator Warner,
As you are aware, Governor Kaine has requested that US Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez  perform a disaster assistance evaluation pertaining to Virginia’s Blue Crab fishery and ultimately declare a Fishery Resource Disaster.

I urge you to support Secretary Gutierrez in his decision.  Any funds resulting from such a declaration would help to offset the financial losses suffered by the Virginia Watermen as new regulations, loss of habitat, and rising fuel costs greatly inhibit the watermen’s ability to earn a living.

Additionally, I would like for you to know that I support and Virginia waterman, the work of the Virginia Watermen's Association (http://virginiawaterman.org/), and a clean healthy Bay.  Please help to preserve these cultural and natural resources that are vital to Virginia.

Sincerely

        

This is one fish in one day.

        

It is important to note that no mention of overfishing. The TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE

On May 2, 2008 Governor Tim Kaine asked the secretary of commerce to declare Virginia's crab fishery a disaster.
Read the press release Press Release
Read the letter to Secretary Guttierez Read Letter

        

Excerpt from an email sent by

John M.R. Bull

Director of Public Relations

Virginia Marine Resources Commission

“Steve Bowman and I wanted to give a head’s up: Gov. Kaine just this morning formally requested that the federal government declare the blue crab fishery a disaster, thus making the watermen eligible for economic disaster relief.

The U.S. Secretary of Commerce would decide whether to issue such a disaster declaration. There is no telling on a time frame. If that happens, a congressional appropriation of unknown quantity of money would be up for a vote.

Maryland today will ask for the same disaster designation for their crab fishery.”

This is good news. My hopes are that this is the first step in recognizing that it is not just the blue crab that is in a state of disaster but the Chesapeake Bay as well.

I have a big wish list and one of those wishes is that the Federal and State will use the waterman and his knowledge in restoring the Bay. This is a win, win for all.

        

Friends,

Send an email directly to our state representatives to let them know that you support the Virginia Watermen and a clean, healthy bay!

Governor Kaine's Contact Page

Please copy and paste the following in your email to Governor Kaine or add your own:

Dear Honorable Governor Kaine,
I would like to know how your office is working to protect the Commonwealth’s atmosphere, lands, and waters from pollution, impairment, or destruction, for the benefit, enjoyment, and general welfare of the people of the Commonwealth. 

I am especially concerned with the degradation of the Chesapeake Bay and the impact it is having on the state’s watermen. I would like for you to know that I support and Virginia waterman, the work of the Virginia Watermen's Association (http://virginiawaterman.org/), and a clean healthy Bay.  Please help to preserve these cultural and natural resources that are vital to Virginia.

Sincerely

Secretary Bryant's Contact Page

Please copy and paste the following in your email to Secretary Bryant or add your own:

Dear Honorable Secretary Bryant,
I would like to know how your office is working to protect the Commonwealth’s atmosphere, lands, and waters from pollution, impairment, or destruction, for the benefit, enjoyment, and general welfare of the people of the Commonwealth. 

I am especially concerned with the degradation of the Chesapeake Bay and the impact it is having on the state’s watermen. I would like for you to know that I support and Virginia waterman, the work of the Virginia Watermen's Association (http://virginiawaterman.org/), and a clean healthy Bay.  Please help to preserve these cultural and natural resources that are vital to Virginia.

Sincerely

        

25 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand."

Matt 12:25 (NIV)

Virginia Waterman must unite! Join us. Download Application Join the Virginia Waterman's Association

        

On Tuesday, April 23, VMRC will impose more regulations on the crabbers.

The crabbers have been accused of overfishing for years but they have started fighting back. Too late but they are fighting.

For over 30 years commercial waterman have been screaming about the degradation of the Chesapeake Bay that has been causing the decline of life in the Bay.

Although the crabbers will take another hit they have united and several environmental organizations have joined with them as they have threated suit.

Lawyers have advised them that they do have grounds for such a suit. This week the Virgina Waterman's Association will meet with an environmental group that has passed word to them that they have already prepared the legal work for such a suit. They have just been waiting for the right group to come along. They think the Virginia Waterman's Association is that group.

        

Watermen say rights are infringed

A group pledged Wednesday to be more proactive in efforts to clean Chesapeake Bay pollution.

By Patrick Lynch | 247-4534

April 10, 2008

KILMARNOCK - The government's failure to clean the Chesapeake Bay has harmed the livelihood of watermen and infringed on their constitutional right to clean water and may be grounds for a class-action lawsuit, a group of watermen decided in Kilmarnock on Wednesday night.

Fed up by declining harvests and tightening regulations that make it increasingly difficult to earn a living on the water, the watermen said it is time to take a more active role in demanding that state and federal governments reverse the pollution that is choking life out of the Chesapeake.

Whether a lawsuit materializes or not, a group of about 50 watermen and supporters, who met in a conference room at the Bank of Lancaster, resolved to be more politically engaged in getting their voices heard.

The stance is striking because of whom it's coming from. Crabbers and oystermen are often targeted for contributing to the decline of the bay. Environmentalists, government officials and scientists point to commercial overfishing as one of the key reasons for the drastic decline in oyster and crab stocks.

Much of the watermen's enthusiasm for action now stems from the ongoing debate over stricter crab regulations — required because of overfishing, scientists and regulators say — in Virginia and Maryland.

Stepping into that debate, watermen too often split themselves politically, said Ken Smith, vice president of the Virginia Waterman's Association, who organized the meeting.

Hard-pot crabbers point to peeler potters as the problem, and both point to winter dredgers.

The crossfire kills the potential for a united front on larger issues, he said.

"They've got us where they want us," Smith said.

Though crabbers may point to other crabbers as the problem, "Well, it's not. It's the quality of this bay.

"We demand that they fix the problem."

During the meeting, Smith recited a few figures from a recent "report card" on the bay's health from the Environmental Protection Agency-led Chesapeake Bay Program to underline the major problems that are not the fault of watermen.

"Three hundred and eighteen million pounds of nitrogen entered the bay last year," Smith said.

Nitrogen feeds algae blooms, which cloud the water and suck up oxygen, which is vital for marine life. The report card said the bay in a year should get no more than 175 million pounds of nitrogen, which comes from sewage plants and fertilizer washed off farms and lawns.

"Only 12 percent of the bay met the standards for dissolved oxygen in the water," Smith said, referring to one of the most basic water quality standards.

Lee Ann Washington, a White Stone attorney whose father was once president of the state watermen's association, led a discussion on whether the commercial fishermen would have legal standing for litigation.

Washington cited as potential grounds the Virginia Constitution, which states "it shall be the commonwealth's policy to protect its atmosphere, lands, and waters from pollution, impairment, or destruction, for the benefit, enjoyment, and general welfare of the people of the commonwealth."

Washington and others also pointed to the Clean Water Act and the federal court order to Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Washington to clean up the bay by 2010. The government is not living up to the Clean Water Act and the states will not meet the 2010 deadline, both potential grounds for litigation, they said.

The discussion brought up an alphabet soup of agencies that could be involved. Watermen are most familiar with the Virginia Marine Resources Commission because it sets commercial harvest regulations.

But the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, still a favorite target for watermen, has little to no jurisdiction over water quality.

The watermen also talked about the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Environmental Quality as agencies that have failed to keep the bay clean.

Representatives of U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Westmoreland, Del. Albert Pollard and state Sen. Richard Stuart also attended the meeting.

        

News from the Office of

Congressman Rob Wittman

First District, Virginia

Date: April 8, 2008 Phone: 202-225-4261

Wittman Calls for Action on Chesapeake Bay clean-up; Supports Virginia Waterman’s Association

(Washington, D.C.) – Congressman Rob Wittman (R-VA) released the following statement on the state of the Chesapeake Bay and offering his support to the Virginia Watermen’s Association:

“The Commonwealth of Virginia is blessed with some of the most pristine natural beauty in world. Many local economies depend on the revenues created by tourists ascending upon Virginia in hope of enjoying our waters, beaches, mountains and forests. The Chesapeake Bay has long provided numerous opportunities for locals and tourists alike to fish, boat and enjoy a day at the beach. Unfortunately, over the years we have failed to adequately protect and preserve the Bay and as a result its health has declined to the point of being in critical condition.

“The Virginia Watermen’s Association, an organization with many members who earn a living working the Bay, has chosen to stand in opposition to the current condition of the Bay. They correctly point out that a lack of action has been ruinous on local small businesses and their employees within the seafood industry. I agree with the Watermen and share their concern that this is a problem that demands we take serious and decisive action to clean up the Bay.

“That is why I have been working with my colleagues in Congress to draft legislation that provides a comprehensive plan to clean up the Bay. Currently, there are several piece meal efforts going on simultaneously, but unless these efforts are strategically coordinated, they will not be successful. I am in the process of meeting with agencies and organizations who are involved in Bay clean-up to get their points of view as I draft the legislation. As a Member of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Task Force, I will continue to support efforts to improve the health of one of our most valuable resources."