Fishery failure, unemployed commercial fishers, and lost blue crab pots: An unexpected success story

The blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, is a significant economic and ecologic driver in estuarine systems. In the recent years, harvest of blue crabs has dipped to historic lows. Virginia and Maryland responded to low harvests by enacting a number of conservation measures. In the Commonwealth of Virginia, the practice of dredging for crabs during the winter months was closed affecting commercial fishers who held current dredge licenses. A program involving cooperation between a regulatory agency personnel, commercial fishers, and scientists was developed to provide supplemental income for fishers and help in restoring the stressed fishery. Commercial fishers were trained on the use of side-scan imaging units and employed to remove derelict fishing gear, mostly lost crab pots. Integrating the commercial fishers into the planning and adaptive management component of the plan helped boost fishers’ trust of the regulatory agency and the scientists to overcome the inherent reluctance of the regulated community to productively engage. Commercial fishers were able to earn income and removed over 18,000 items of derelict fishing gear that directly affects the blue crab fishery. Early engagement of stakeholders and continual dialog on recommendations for plan modification are important for natural resource co-management success.