Watermen eligible for
disaster relief

BALTIMORE - Federal fisheries officials say Virginia and Maryland watermen are eligible for up to $20 million in crab disaster relief.

Each state will be eligible for as much as $10 million in relief to help watermen hurt by the failure of the Chesapeake Bay's soft shell and peeler blue crab fishery. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Fisheries Service made the announcement Tuesday.

NOAA announced the much sought-after declaration in September, making watermen eligible for funding to help them deal with severe harvest limits. NOAA said the harvest value of soft shell and peeler blue crabs in Maryland and Virginia has declined by 41 percent from the late 1990s.

The two states must now submit plans outlining how the funds will be used.