May 25, 2010

US discloses oyster revival plan

Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley looks forward to refurbishing the state's management of declining Chesapeake Bay oyster stocks.

He said the plan focuses on escalating no-harvest sanctuaries, diminishing areas for traditional harvesting and encouraging oyster farming.

The plans were introduced in December, and since then officials have made adjustments chiefly in response to watermen's complaints arguing that the state was transforming the best oyster-producing areas into sanctuaries.

For example, watermen currently harvest oysters in Anne Arundel County's waters, where a new oyster sanctuary will be developed in the main area of the Chesapeake Bay, offshore from Cedarhurst down to Chesapeake Beach. According to Tom O'Connell, the director of fisheries at the state Department of Natural Resources, this sanctuary is being created to counterbalance changes in proposed sanctuaries on the Eastern Shore.

Maryland is increasing sanctuaries from 9% of oyster-growing bottom areas to 25%, which could represent a 10-15% loss of income for watermen, he told.

"The 24% they are taking is our most productive bottom, which leaves us with 75% of unproductive bottom. We can't feed our families on unproductive bottom," said Bunky Chance, a waterman from Talbot County, WBOC TV reports.

Effectively closed to oystering, the Magothy River would become a permanent sanctuary. The Severn River, a sanctuary since last year, would remain, as well as the upper half of the South River. The bottom half of the South River, the West River and the Rhode River would all remain open to oyster harvesting.