The Virginia Marine Resources Commission yesterday imposed several restrictions on commercial crabbing to help the struggling population in the Chesapeake Bay. Among them:

Requiring watermen to have two openings in their pots, called cull rings, to let our small crabs-- most of which are female in VA waters.

Increasing the minimum size limit on peeler crabs, those soft crabs that fetch the highest prices at market.

Capping the winter dredge fishery at the 55 watermen who already do it now.

The Virginian-Pilot's Scott Harper has all the details in this report.

VMRC is not done yet.

Also on the table for discussion in April is cutting the number of crab pots by between 10 and 30 percent, or even as much as 50 percent. Harper reports they are also considering getting rid of recreational fishing licenses and extending the time in which sanctuaries that protect the crabs in the bay's mainstem are off limits.

Regulators are also considering getting rid of the winter dredge fishery altogether -- a practice by which watermen use a clamp-like dredge to remove female crabs that are burrowing in the bay's bottom during the cold months. They're easy marks, because they're not moving. That accounts for about 8 percent of Virginia's annual crab catch.

All of this is happening because the numbers don't lie. The great shellfish factory that was the Chesapeake Bay is sputtering. Watermen are still catching million of pounds of crabs, but significantly fewer than they were catching a few years ago. No one wants to see the crabs go the way of the oysters -- essentially becoming a species that has collapsed.

Last year's harvest, the two recent winter dredge surveys, the decline in water quality and major loss in bay grasses due in part to heat -- all are signs that our signature, iconic crustacean is in trouble. Despite how unpopular these changes are with watermen, regulators know they cannot just ignore the problem or put it off for another year.

Watermen complained that they are taking the brunt of the hit for a problem that is not their fault -- the degradation of water quality in the bay and the loss of key habitat for the crabs. VMRC officials acknowledged that was largely true, but still, the watermen had to make these sacrifices if there was to be a crabbing season at all.

Maryland will not be far behind in introducing its restrictions. It was waiting to see what Virginia would do, and in particular, it wants to see if VA is going to enforce a maximum size limit on females. If they do, Maryland likely will follow suit.

Virginia is also favoring a fishery where watermen will have specific times when they can go fishing, and they can sell their days on the water to someone else. I've heard Md. officials aren't crazy about this approach, because it doesn't really limit the effort. But in Maryland, many ideas are on the table.

MD officials will be meeting tomorrow to further discuss their plans. Click here to see the options MD officials are considering. It's a pretty interesting presentation.