MD seeks to buy back commercial crab licenses

Via the Baltimore Sun:

[Maryland] State officials offered today to buy back more than half of all the commercial crab licenses held by Marylanders in a bid to protect the Chesapeake Bay's iconic crustacean as it recovers from a near-disastrous decline.

The Department of Natural Resources announced it is willing to buy back up to 3,676 "limited crab catcher" licenses, which allow holders to fish with up to 50 wire-mesh "pots" or an unlimited amount of baited line. The department mailed letters to all license holders giving them until July 31 to submit bids specifying the amount they'd be willing to take for their permits.

Read the full story at the Baltimore Sun.