[stanleybros]

Published: February 7, 2009
Drastic Changes Needed On State VMRC Board

Editor, Times-Dispatch:
We need to get more watermen on the Virginia Marine Resources Commission board.

How can we have a professional, working VMRC without members of the maritime profession? We can't.

How do real estate agents and insurance salesmen manage a fishery? Not very well. The VMRC needs a major overhaul. For far too long, the board has had a stranglehold on the watermen.

Due to the mismanagement of this agency, the needs of our Chesapeake Bay and the men who work its waters have been ignored and neglected. The results are the drastic decline of the Bay's oysters, fish, and crabs.

I have personally begged VMRC to open up more oyster grounds so the watermen can work close to home, so they could save money on fuel and boat slip rent, and most important, so not every boat in the state is working one little area to death.

I am tired of watermen being blamed for overharvesting. It is VMRC's policies that have been the problem.

VMRC is allowing acres of oyster beds to lie there, silt over, and die.

VMRC requires all watermen to send in daily reports on their catches, the names of their boats, and who they sell their catch to.

Unfortunately, the VMRC doesn't seem to know what to do with this information. It could use it to see which areas are doing well and which are not -- without spending any more state money.

The watermen no longer go to the VMRC meetings -- not because they don't care, but because they do not have any say in the decisions that are made. Drastic changes must be made, or we will see not only the demise of the watermen, but our oysters, crabs, and fish as well. Can we afford that?

Tammy Croxton. Kilmarnock.

 

[Diamond Reef]

Dont worry Tammy change is on the way!!!!!!!!

 

[stanleybros]

I'll take your word for it George.

 

[Kevin Smith]

George Seem Too Confident-Hope He Is Wrong

The VMRC is not broken just because they have closed the winter dredging of crabs to help the population grow.

No one can blame the VMRC for the fisheries & marine resources because they don't promote overfishing as do some groups.

Adding more VA Commercial Watermen on the VMRC would not help the VMRC.

 

[kidz]

Wat to tell them tammy, it is good that you are speaking for the waterman.

 

[Capt. Jim Brincefield]

Nevermind, I just got the translation.

 

[Fishman]

Put more watermen on the board and there goes the recreational fishery because the waterman will vote for what they want and not what is best for the bay.

 

[Getaway]

In the past, the cause of the problem in the bay was that commercial fishermen and seafood processors wanted everything their way resulting in depleted resources. For many years, commercial fishermen controlled VMRC resulting in decisions that adversely affected the fishery. The crab and fish populations have not returned to prior levels but are on the way back from the extremely low levels of recent years. Lets give them a chance to recover before they are targeted in excess once or ever again. A balanced committee is warranted, but not one that includes a number of commercial fishermen and fishery processors that would once again be in control of the bay's future. Perhaps it is time that those that are directyly affected by VMRC's rules got with the program and co-operated in resolving the problem(s). Sorry, but that is the way it is!

 

[Rob Holtz]

We already beat this down at the recent legislative session, I guess the stick wasn't big enough.

I think Tammy needs to study just who the current VMRC commissioners are and what thier profession is. She must be looking at a different VMRC than everyone else.

I also think Tammy needs to attend a VMRC meeting once in awhile to see what really goes on. She obviously doesn't have a clue.

One of the major problems with the VMRC in the last decade is that the waterman actually do show up in huge numbers and cry the blues whenever any real management is being proposed. This usually tends to soften the commissioners into doing something less than what is really needed to help a fishery. Been there and seen it happen many times. The only real management measures that have actually taken place lately are the Crab reductions of last year that were forced upon the VMRC. And the jury is still out on how quickly they will allow the rape of the resource again once they show the slightest hint of a comeback.

Sure Tammy, we'll let you see all the harvest reports so you can go wipe out any productive areas to the bone. Bet you'd catch the last Oyster in the water if you could make money on it, huh? You should be ashamed of yourself for even attempting to haverst a resource that's at 1% of its' historic levels.

 

[capt. jakeg]

The problem is that rather than actually figure something out and create a proper solution to a problem, the VMRC just closes or severely limits the fisheries and blame overfishing.

Rather than let the money rot in account until the state can find something else to divert it to, the VMRC could use the money in the recreational license fund to create hatcheries and stocking programs that could be possibly used for nearly every different species in the chesapeake bay. Think about how great it would be to have rockfish hatcheries, grey trout hatcheries, etc. These would create jobs and be beneficial to everyone. Look at how beneficial the lynnhaven oyster restocking program they have done is. Rather than leaving it in the hands of people who haven already proven themselves uninformed and biased, they could pay scientists to do more studies that are in direct relation to recreational and commercial fisheries alike and would move regulations in the directions they should actually be going instead of improperly regulating fisheries.

I personally think that Omega should be held responsible for purchasing and maintaining a hatchery that would help restock menhaden they are removing from the bay- but thats a bit over the top.

 

[Al B]

Jake, I agree. It seems that anytime there's a question regarding populations of a species, the answer is always, "there's no data". Well, there's ALWAYS a surplus from the liscenscing fund that could be spent on population studies.

 

[taylorblue]

captain jakeg I think you have a good point. It would be like fisheries mitagation.

 

[jengel]

Jake, you are on it! If those responsible for tree harvesting are required to plant more trees, then why are those taking fish from our waters not in part responsible for their re-stocking?

I would call that a solution to everyone's problems...part of the profits from the Commerical guys and the licensing from recreationals both go into the restocking of our waters.

Jake, by the way, and this is complete compliment, you are dead on look alike to Brooks Orpik from the Pens...

GO PENS!!