Commercial Limited Crab Catcher (LCC) License – Activity Status Request Form

The Department of Natural Resources is offering $2,260 to anyone who would like to voluntarily sell back their Commercial Limited Crab Catcher (LCC) License

The Maryland DNR announced that it is offering a set price for the Commercial Limited Crab Catcher (LCC) License Buy-Back Program. The agency began the voluntary Buy-Back program in July in an effort to reduce the amount of latent (inactive) effort in Maryland’s commercial blue crab fishery, below are details along with a form and instructions.

If you have not renewed your LCC license for the season 9/1/09 to 8/31/10, you can receive payment by completing the buy-back form and returning it to the address on the form. Please be aware, if you do not sell or renew your license before 3/31/10 it will forfeit to the state.

If you have renewed your license you must return the new license (9/1/09 to 8/31/10) along with the completed buy-back form.

If you have an LCC with no other authorizations (oyster harvester OYH or finfish FIN, etc.) you may mail your license along with completed paperwork to the address indicated. However, if you have additional authorizations you must take the buy-back form along with your license to a service center. They will issue you a new license. Instructions for completing the form are located on the buy-back form including locations and phone numbers of service centers.

You will not receive immediate payment. Payment will be mailed to everyone that sells back their license in 4 to 6 weeks from the time your buy-back form is submitted.

Selling your license is completely voluntary.

If your LCC is labeled inactive and you choose not to sell, new regulations proposed this fall will affect your license. If your license has been designated active you will not be affected by these proposed regulations.

Click here for Buyback Offer Form, including instructions.

To read related press release click here.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) held a series of open houses to address the issue of unused blue crab licenses.

In December 2008, DNR proposed regulations for the blue crab fishery that included a proposal to freeze all Limited Crab Harvester (LCC) commercial licenses that had not reported any crab harvest from 2004 to 2008. During the public discussion of this proposal, it became clear that a more extensive citizen participation process was needed. The Department withdrew the LCC license component from this year’s regulatory package.

“The Department remains committed to addressing the issue of unused crab licenses,” said Tom O’Connell, Director of DNR Fisheries Services. “We are holding this series of open houses to provide information that outlines the problems associated with unused crab licenses, provide responses to the concerns that have been raised by the public comment period and ask the public to provide constructive suggestions for short and long term solutions.”

The Open Houses are designed as educational exhibits that the public can attend at any time during the opening hours and stay as long as they wish. DNR Staff will be on hand to discuss the potential problems associated with unused crab licenses and listen to constructive input about possible solutions. For more information, call the Blue Crab Hotline at 410-260-8286.

If you were not able to attend any of the open houses but would like to see the primary information presented, please go to www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/crab/OpenHouse2009_41609.pdf * updated on May 14.

Feedback regarding the information presented at the blue crab open houses is welcome and encouraged, to submit comments please go to dnrweb.dnr.state.md.us/fish/feedback/bluecrabform.asp

To review the comments made in response to the Open Houses click here.