MARVIN MANDEL, Governor                      1749

"That concludes my statement, Mr. Chairman, but I would
like to add two remarks: I am not pointing an accusing finger
at the winter dredge fishery of Virginia. I simply do not know
enough about crabs and neither does anyone else to say au-
thoritatively that the winter crab fishery has no effect and I
think it is high time we began finding out if it does."

A statement of the Virginia position in these discussions recently
was made by the Director of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science
as follows:

"The exact cause of this present short supply is unknown.
However, we do not believe that it is the result of fishing pres-
sure of the last few years. We do not believe it is due to any
lack of numbers of fertile males or spawning female crabs.
Statistical data have consistently failed to support the conten-
tion that the violent fluctuations of the catch in the 90-year
history of the fishery have been due to either fishing pressure
or the lack of spawners.

"We are led to the conclusion that the principal factors in-
fluencing the crab stocks are environmental. For example, cur-
rents, temperatures, salinity, predators, and disease, some of
these things about which we know very little, are believed to
be among the most important factors controlling the survival of
eggs, larvae, and young crabs___

"The indications are that the fishery as it is now operated in
Maryland and Virginia has no influence on recruitment in suc-
ceeding years. These indications are based upon an analysis of
data going back as far as reliable records are available. For
this reason, if this is a correct estimate of the situation, then
the logical conclusion when we are asked about restrictions is—
do not add any more because it will not accomplish anything.

"In other words, at the present time, according to our best
data and estimates, the fishery is not influencing recruitment
—that is, the numbers of young that come in in the 2 years
following the fishery. And therefore the only thing that would
be accomplished if the fishery is restricted under these circum-
stances is to eliminate money from the crabbers' pockets."

The State of Maryland calls upon the Commonwealth of Virginia
for a concerted research study, with the assistance of Federal agen-
cies, to determine once and for all the effects of an overfishing of
the female egg-bearing crab.

Pending the obtaining of scientific data, the General Assembly of
Maryland calls upon the General Assembly of the Commonwealth
of Virginia to provide at least a partial cessation in the present
overfishing of the pregnant crab supply. To this date, officials and
legislators of the Commonwealth of Virginia have adopted only a
negative approach that in the absence of proof they were harming
the adult crab fisheries, they would continue overfishing the female
crab supply. Maryland's call is for a positive approach and for
recognition of the universal truism that a depletion in the reproduc-
ing crab must of logical necessity reduce the supply