Waterman James Dean Close of Moon has been named to a seat on the Virginia Marine Resources Commission.

Close has served on the Virginia Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab Panel for the past year and a half and was nominated by other panel members with the support of the Virginia Waterman’s Association of the Northern Neck. He will finish serving the term of waterman Joe Palmer of Virginia Beach, who passed away in July.

A Mathews native, Close has been a crabber, oysterman and fisherman for 29 years. He said that crabbing has been disappointing lately, and he feels certain that crabbing issues will be "on the table" for discussion, but he’s not sure what measures will be suggested to deal with the problem.

Close said he’s familiar with the processes involved in regulating the fishing industry, but that some of it "will be a learning process."

He added that he’s looking forward to representing watermen on the commission "so they will at least have a voice."

Cl...