During its recently completed 90-day session, when the Maryland General Assembly considered 2,817 bills and passed 834, the Eastern Shore got some attention, maybe unwanted and unappreciated by some.
Of course, I’m referring to a bill requiring that the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) conduct a study to analyze the state’s oyster stocks. Simply, the study is intended to determine how many oysters are there in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, and how many can be removed by commercial watermen before the supply is extinguished.
Nothing about oysters is easy or harmonious in the hallowed halls of Annapolis. Watermen are suspicious of studies undertaken either by bureaucrats or scientists. They assume that the results will be injurious to their economic health.
They circle their boats to protect an oyster population already decimated by disease, dirty water and over-harvesting.
The current oyster population is one percent of historical levels. The future is grim.
What the watermen really fear is a moratorium. They believe it is inevitable if studies go forward. They want to pursue their profession, unfettered by government regulation and scientific research.
Talbot County watermen won a victory of sorts when they successfully persuaded state officials to seek a delay by the Army Corps of Engineers in an oyster restoration project in the Tred Avon River. I thought this was a ridiculous action to appease the watermen, who questioned the results of a similar project in Harris Creek. Scientists agreed that it was premature to judge the efficacy of the the Harris Creek project, which was completed in mid-September 2015.
Watermen understandably are worried about a diminishing oyster stock. They are not responsible for diseases that have ravaged oysters. They are not responsible for the pollution of the Chesapeake Bay. And they are watching the emergence of aquaculture and the increasing public taste for farmed oysters.
As stated in a Baltimore Sun editorial prior to the passage of the oyster study bill, “Still, there is more at stake in this debate than any waterman’s livelihood. Oysters are essential for the health of the Chesapeake’s underwater ecology. As filter feeders, an oyster can cleanse up to 50 gallons of water per day. That was one of the prime arguments for creating oyster sanctuaries in the first place.”
The new study will seek data on oyster reproduction, growth and mortality rates to forecast how many oysters may roam the Bay in future years. This sort of study is not new. Similar analyses were conducted to develop policy on crab harvests, considered important in aiding the growing number of these tasty shellfish.
Watermen have a voice that deserves to be heard in forming policy. They also have a stake in ensuring the future sustainability of the oyster population in the Bay and its tributaries. At some point, they need to lower the noise level and find a solution that protects their livelihood by protecting and enhancing the stocks supply. They also need to understand that the market for farmed oysters is growing. They might need to revise their business model despite their generations-long ties to plying their trade as it’s always been done.
Speaking about a voice in our democratic process, I am proud to say I voted early in our federal and state election, scheduled for April 26. And I was surprised to find a line at the Easton Fire House when I voted Thursday morning, April 14. I’m not sure what the long line signified.
A friend asked me, humorously, whether I was interviewed afterwards in an exit poll you hear about on the major network and cable television stations. I doubt whether the national political pundits are interested in the thoughts of an Easton, Maryland voter.
Though I admittedly enjoy observing the political process, I suspect I join many others who look forward to the end of what seems like an unending presidential primary. Citizens need a break. And so do the candidates.
Please don’t forget to vote.
Columnist Howard Freedlander retired in 2011 as Deputy State Treasurer of the State of Maryland. Previously, he was the executive officer of the Maryland National Guard. He also served as community editor for Chesapeake Publishing, lastly at the Queen Anne’s Record-Observer. In retirement, Howard serves on the boards of several non-profits on the Eastern Shore, Annapolis and Philadelphia.
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