![]() Every $1 of state/federal funding invested in agricultural best management practices would generate $1.56 in economic activity in Virginia (University of Virginia study). ![]() The number of environmental industry jobs in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia has surged by 43 percent over the last two decades (Environmental Business International).Approximately, 20,000 construction jobs are created by each $1 billion invested on water and wastewater projects (Clean Water Council).Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s annual costs for clean air and water regulations from October 1, 1999, to September 30, 2009, ranged from $26 to $29 billion, while benefits ranged from $82 to $533 billion (World Resources Institute) It's becoming more and more apparent that working to restore the Bay actually creates jobs and supports livelihoods rather than hinders the region’s economic growth as many would have you believe: Clean-Water Technologies Create Jobs and Stimulate Local Economies Conversely, investing in clean-water technology creates jobs, generates economic activity, and saves money in the long run. Quite simply, failure to "Save the Bay™" threatens the Bay's value as an economic driver. Furthermore, working to restore this vital resource helps spur job growth and protect the countless livelihoods that depend on the Bay's health. The Bay provides countless opportunities and dollars in regards to its fishing, tourism, real estate, and shipping industries. “I guess they don’t have predators and they’re afraid they might maybe try to eat the blue crab.The protection and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay and its streams and rivers are essential to a healthy and vibrant economy. “They say they’re not good for the bay,” he said. ![]() Researchers want to locate the source of the crabs, so watermen are on the alert as the summer crabbing season gets under way.įor Meyer, who runs Vince’s Crabhouse in the Baltimore suburb of Essex, Maryland, that means keeping a close watch as he checks his 500 to 600 crab pots each day. That suggests the mitten crabs found there may have been sucked aboard a ship taking on ballast water in Europe, Asia or San Francisco and then released into the bay when the vessel reached port. The three examined by researchers were fully developed males. So far, there is no evidence mitten crabs are reproducing in the Chesapeake. Vulnerable blue crabs - the babies and molting adults - find refuge in the same kinds of habitats where mitten crabs breed, raising concerns they could become the invaders’ prey. They rear their offspring in freshwater tributaries, but migrate to shallower salt water areas to reproduce. The harvest is down from historical levels, but has been 50 million to 60 million pounds per year since 2000. Limits have been placed on the size of the crab catch because of degraded conditions in the bay and concerns about the overall crab population, which a recent study found has been below target levels for a decade. ![]() They are made into soups, dips, crab cakes and other delights. ![]() Hundreds of crab shacks and seafood restaurants in the region serve them steamed to mallet-wielding patrons or pan-fried when the shells are soft. The crab harvest alone is worth more than $50 million, according to government figures.Ĭhesapeake crabs are celebrated at fairs and festivals where crustacean queens are crowned and local craftsmen sell knickknacks and Christmas ornaments made from their shells.īut mostly people eat them. Blue crabs are the backbone of a major industry on the 200-mile-(320-km)-long Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the United States. He said the fear is the mitten crab would compete for food with the blue crabs, or eat them. ![]()
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