As the holidays approach, many of us will be looking forward to enjoying local oysters as part of the celebration. How do they get from the sea to the table? Our waterman.
Getting those wild oysters to the table is getting harder and harder. Since 2010, regulations and sanctuaries have limited the available areas for waterman to work.
Across the bay, a quarter of the remaining available oyster habitats are sanctuaries. Many of those locations have traditionally been worked by watermen.
While working new areas, harvesting from under-worked areas requires years of dredging oysters and replenishing shells, which oysters latch onto and grow from, for bars to become consistently lucrative.
Some waterman complain that yields are much lower because of new regulations that force them to locations that are more crowded with other fishermen—this leads to overfishing certain areas, and eventual depletion of the resource.
In Maryland, the DNR estimated that regulations meant protect oyster populations could cause watermen’s harvest to decrease by about 10 percent, a drop that will have a big effect on their income.
Some suspect the regulations are intended not so much to save the oyster, but to drive out independent waterman in favor of commercial aquaculture.
Smaller, local watermen complain that for a small operation, the aquaculture business is not as profitable as traditional harvesting—it also puts a financial burden on watermen who can’t afford to take that kind of risk.
Most watermen agree that oyster restoration is important, but sanctuaries may not be the best method. Power dredging, a mechanical method of scraping the bottom of the bay, could help the oyster population more than the sanctuaries because it helps to create a cleaner surface for oyster larvae to grow on.
The Chesapeake Bay is 4,479 mi². Limiting oyster harvests to such small areas and small amounts of time does not seem like a sustainable way to not only manage the resource, but allow folks to work the water and make a living.
If we want to continue to have wild oysters on the table, it may be time to truly bring waterman to the table as a way to find a sustainable way to manage the resource for everyone.
Mike Nelson Jr. says
They never listen to the watermen , what you are saying about rules & sanctuary’s is true, it’s contributing to the over working of the rest of the bars !!
Dennis ferstermann says
U can not make a living rockfishing anymore with the little bit of quoted that the state allows an fishing in January is hard because of the ice.
bill curry says
Perhaps the better question is have watermen destroyed their future?
Mike Kuzma, Jr. says
Northampton County voted overwhelmingly for Tim Kaine and the Democrats, the promulgators of ALL the regulations that are killing jobs EVERYWHERE in America.
Ergo, they WANT these job killing regulations.
Pogo was right.
Mr. L. Pruitt says
“Are Regulations Destroying Waterman’s Ability to make a living?”…….
Hell, that has already happened…in the Eighties. Damn, Ya’ll are slow as molasses.
Bo says
You Dam rite.. inspector got me for taking shit said can’t dump it over board I said what y’all do take it home with you? Not me u can’t even goto work and take a piss without worrying about getting a ticket ant that something!
Joseph Corcoran says
Breaking news : The Virginia General Assembly that makes Virginia Regulations is and has been for many years controlled by Republicans .
The Congress of the USA that makes federal regulations is and has been for several years controlled by Republicans .
Hopefully , this will change .
Daniel Morgan says
I was thinking; If Liberals don’t believe in biological gender then why did they march for women’s rights?
I was thinking; If women do the same job for less money, why do companies hire men to do the same job for more money?
I was thinking; Since only 11 million people have Obama-Care, how will 24 million people die if it is repealed? Will an additional 13 million people be randomly shot?
I was thinking; We should stop calling them all ‘Entitlements’. Welfare, Food Stamps, WIC, ad nausea are not Entitlements. They are taxpayer-funded handouts and shouldn’t be called Entitlements at all. But, Social Security and Veterans Benefits are Entitlements because the people receiving them are entitled to them. They were earned and paid for by the recipients.
I was thinking; If you rob a bank in a Sanctuary City, is it illegal or is it just an Undocumented Withdrawal?
I was thinking; After the London ‘Lone Wolf’ terrorist attack, government officials arrested at least eight other ‘Lone Wolves’ who had conspired with the original ‘Lone Wolf’ in planning the ‘Lone Wolf’ attack. Why do they tell us even though all involved are Muslims, you can be assured that the ‘Lone Wolf’ attack has nothing at all to do with Islam, just like the other 1,000-plus ‘Lone Wolf’ attacks by Muslims, are completely unassociated with Islam?
I was thinking; Why is each ISIS attack now a reaction to Trump policies, but all ISIS attacks during Obama’s term were due to Climate Change and a plea for jobs?
I was thinking; If Muslims want to run away from a Muslim country, does that mean they are Islamophobic?
I was thinking; If Democrats don’t want foreigners involved in our elections, why do they think it’s all right for illegals to vote?
I was thinking; Is the DNC is mad at Russia because it ‘thinks’ they are trying to manipulate our elections, or because Russia is exposing that the DNC is manipulating our elections?
I was thinking; How did the Russians get Debbie Wasserman Schultz and the DNC to steal the Primary from Bernie Sanders? How did Russia get Donna Brazile to leak debate questions to Hillary Clinton in advance of the debates?
I was thinking; Why is it that Democrats think Super delegates are fine, but they have a problem with the Electoral College?
I was thinking; If Donald Trump deleted all of his emails, wiped his server with Bleachbit and destroyed all of his phones with a hammer, would the Mainstream Media suddenly lose all interest in the story and declare him innocent?
I was thinking; If Hillary’s speeches cost $250,000 an hour, how come no one shows up to her free speeches?
I was thinking; If you don’t want the FBI involved in elections, don’t nominate someone who’s being investigated by the FBI.