He said he wants to see a compromise because he fears that if the council vetoes the Governor's restrictions, it will lead the Legislature to strip it of power. A measure of the council's power could be seen in Trenton yesterday, where a group of environmentalists held a press conference aimed at influencing its decision. They painted a disaster scenario for Delaware Bay should the council overrule Whitman. The situation is critical. It has reached a point where if we don't do something about it, it is not going to get any better.
Ornithology is the branch of zoology dealing with birds.
Last week, Whitman imposed a second 60-day ban eliminating a fall crab harvest, which accounts for 60 percent of the annual catch. The ban also prohibits netting, trawling or dredging at any time of the year and limited crabbing in May and June. In those months, crabbers may harvest crabs only by hand, with a daily limit of 100. The ban expires Sept. 27, and if the Marine Fisheries Council does not make Whitman's restrictions permanent, environmentalists are concerned a fall harvest season will begin and 300,000 to 400,000 horseshoe crabs could be taken. The Marine Fisheries Council is composed of two people each from the shell and commercial fishing industries, four recreational fishing representatives, two public members and one from the fish processing business.