WARSAW -- Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley will meet in Colonial Beach tomorrow to learn more about the Chesapeake Bay's troubled blue crab population.

The meeting of the two leaders comes as watermen in both states resist proposed regulations designed to save the economically important species from overfishing.

Virginia and Maryland are considering a host of possible restrictions to slash the crab harvest by 20 percent to 40 percent in hopes of rebuilding the crab population and the multimillion-dollar commercial fishing industry they support.

Virginia began tightening its restrictions in February; last month it added 30 days to the time crabbing is banned in a 1,000-square-mile sanctuary in the lower Chesapeake Bay. The decision puts the refuge in effect from May 1 to mid-September to give spawning female crabs more protection.

The size of the upcoming cuts will be determined by population data scientists will share with the governors. The meeting will begin at 3 p.m. at the Potomac River Fisheries Commission in Colonial Beach.

Population figures show that blue crabs have been overfished seven of the past 10 years and that the population of female crabs is too low to sustain a healthy population.

"Both these governors absolutely understand the danger that's posed for crabs," said John Bull, the spokesman for the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, which regulates seafood harvest in Virginia.

The hard crab harvest in Virginia in 2006 was nearly 21.5 million pounds -- a decline of 25 percent from the 28.7 million average from 1995 to 2005.

Watermen say more regulations will put them out of business. They blame politicians and state and federal environmental agencies for allowing the regional Chesapeake Bay cleanup to fall behind schedule.

Watermen on both sides of the Rappahannock River in Virginia are exploring the possibility of suing state and federal agencies for failing to restore the bay.

Contact Lawrence Latané III at (804) 333-3461 or llatane@timesdispatch.com.