Thanks to Sun editor Jon Morgan for posting an update earlier in the week on the Virginia crab decision.

Daily Press reporter Patrick Lynch has more today about politicians in the Old Dominion state asking the federal government to declare a state of emergency, and thus get federal disaster aid to help the crabbers.

Several legislators are behind the push, including Congressman Robert Wittman, who used to have a seafood-related job and has many watermen constituents.

With the early closure of Virginia's season, Maryland watermen won't be in the position they were in six years ago, when Maryland closed early but Virginia kept crabbing. As a result, Maryland watermen said, the "sooks" that the state sought to save went into Virginia baskets. Not that watermen in either state are happy about this: there's no doubt it will severely cut into their business.