Pandemic could change Md. oyster industry for good
Culling oysters ready for market is a daily job in the aquaculture business. At Choptank Oyster Company in Cambridge, Maryland, the work is done outdoors year-round. Photo by J.F. Meils/Capital News Service via AP.
By AUDREY DECKER
The pandemic-affected oyster season has been difficult for the industry in Maryland, causing farmers and watermen to rethink how they sell their product and changing how programs conduct oyster restoration.
After restaurants reduced their capacity and a stay-at-home order was issued last spring, restaurant sales essentially went to zero within a matter of a week, said Scott Budden, founder of Orchard Point Oyster Co. headquartered in Stevensville, Maryland.