Maryland blue crab population 'a disaster'

U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez issued a state of disaster declaration for Chesapeake Bay blue crabs, a first and critical step in making financial aid available to watermen facing harvest limits.

The declaration comes in response to a joint request Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley and Virginia Gov. Timothy Kaine made in May. The move means that Maryland is eligible for federal assistance to aid watermen and restore the population of soft-shell crabs, which has dropped 70 percent in 15 years.