Hollywood, MD – The state of Maryland has used a multi-faceted measure of options to try and rebuild the oyster population in the Chesapeake Bay. The oyster population is at 1 percent of historic levels and Maryland officials are trying everything they can to raise that number. Many oyster sanctuaries have been built where watermen are not legally allowed to pull oysters.
Oysters are filter feeders; they take in free floating algae among other things to build themselves. This keeps the water cleaner, which is extremely important for every other organism in the water. Restoration of the population is vital at this point on every level.
Poaching has been a large issue in the past decade. Watermen claim they’re losing work but if they are poaching undersized oysters and sanctuaries, they may run out of work anyway.
Maryland is suspending and revoking oyster licenses now more than ever. Repeat offenders eventually get their license revoked for life. Unfortunately, these offenders tend to move to Virginia to obtain a license where the laws are less strict and there’s a higher population of oysters.
Even Homeland Security has helped with installing cameras and radars to detect when boats are crossing lines illegally after set hours or specific spots. However, waterman have started to contact one another about the heat coming their way and other ways around the system. Some even physically go and pick oysters by hand as to not be detected.
The longer we let oysters rest in disease-resistant sanctuaries, the more oysters will be made available to legally harvest. Some watermen feel that they cannot be that patient.
For those out there responsibly dredging and catching oysters, if you see any possible illegal activity, call the Poacher Hotline at 1-800-635-6124 and give a description of the vessel or the license number if possible.