Article: Va.'s Nonresident Surcharge Has Md. Crabbers Stewing

Elijah Lee Wilson Jr., like the crabs he catches, is steamed.

The Somerset County, Md., man and his crew set out from here in the pre-dawn darkness last week to do legally what is outlawed in their home state: dredge the murky Chesapeake Bay bottom for blue crabs. But for this privilege, Wilson paid dearly, in the form of a $1,150 nonresident surcharge, tripled last year by the Virginia legislature.

The fee increase, which took effect Jan. 1, is no big deal, said Jeff Crockett, president of the Tangier Island Watermen's Association. "It's a day's work," he scoffed. "One more step to make Virginia less attractive" to outsiders.

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