Watermen Fear New Law Could Limit Oyster Harvesting

BALTIMORE (WJZ)—A scientific study of oysters in the Chesapeake Bay was recently approved by Maryland legislatures, but some watermen say it could actually hurt the industry.

Alex DeMetrick explains.

A few hours before Maryland's legislature ended this year's session, lawmakers passed a bill bringing hard science to the oyster harvest.

It was an effort watermen tried stop.

"It's something we don't need at all because the State of Maryland already does that job. We don't need to duplicate it," said Russel Dize.

The Department of Natural Resources surveys oyster beds and the number of oysters harvested.

The law calls for deeper science.

"It's more than a survey. It's an assessment. It's a very complicated mathematical analysis," says Dr. Donald Boesch.

Dr. Boesch heads up the University of Maryland's Center for Environmental Science.

Along with DNR's survey, the center will look at other data impacting oysters in the bay, including at what rate do they die through diseases and predators, at what rate do they grow, at what rate do they reproduce and at what rate do they we extract them, harvest them.

That harvest rate lies at the heart of the watermen's worry.

"The commercial community is concerned that this is a bill that starts us down the road to a moratorium," said waterman Bucky Chance.

The legislation requires the research to be turned over to DNR, which ultimately decides the impact it will have.

"We can be fearful of of information and knowledge or we can embrace it," said Dr. Boesch.

Researchers say they share the same goal as the watermen: to have a sustainable oyster harvest.

The University of Maryland analysis of the oyster stock will take 18 months to complete.