PUBLIC NOTICE
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Fishing and Boating Services
Regulatory Hearing on Proposed Peeler Crabs and Crabbing Gear Markings
Pursuant to Natural Resources Article, §4-803, Annotated Code of Maryland, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Service has scheduled a public hearing on the proposed blue crab regulations on February 12, 2015 at 6pm in the Wicomico Public Library, Room 4, 122 S. Division Street, Salisbury, MD 21801.
The purpose of this action is to increase the minimum size for peeler crabs for the 2015 crabbing season in the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries and to clarify the requirements for marking crabbing gear. The minimum size for peeler crabs will be increased from 3 ¼ inches to 3 ½ inches from April 1 to July 14 for both the commercial and recreational fisheries in the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries. The minimum size for peeler crabs is already 3 ½ inches from July 15 to December 15, so no change is required for the second half of the season. The current regulations do not make necessary distinctions between the gear marking requirements for the blue crab fisheries in the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries and the Atlantic Ocean, its coastal bays and their tidal tributaries; this action will clarify how gear must be marked in both fisheries.
For more information regarding this proposal, visit: http://dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/Pages/regulations/proposed.aspx#bluecrab. All interested parties are invited to attend and give their views. Sign language interpreters and other appropriate accommodations for individuals with disabilities will be provided upon request.
Frank W. Dawson, III
Acting Secretary
Maryland Department of Natural Resources