Maryland watermen sold more than half a million bushels of wild oysters this winter, more than they have since 1987, according to preliminary state data. It’s a positive sign for a species known for dangerous population swings in recent decades.
Maryland watermen sold more than half a million bushels of wild oysters this winter, more than they have since 1987, according to preliminary state data. It’s a positive sign for a species known for dangerous population swings in recent decades.
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By Jeremy Cox & Timothy B. Wheeler, Bay Journal News Service Bill Huber and Jason Robbins hoist a bushel of oysters into the back of a pickup truck on Hooper s Island, MD, in December 2020. Bay watermen are having little trouble reaching their state-imposed bivalve quotas each day but are fetching lower prices than last year. (Bay Journal photo by Jeremy Cox)
With several hours of daylight to spare, Ronnie Robbins and his son, Jason, had already docked their 36-foot deadrise workboat on Hooper s Island and started unloading their briny cargo.
by Jeremy Cox and Timothy B. Wheeler, Bay Journal News Service on January 27, 2021
BAY JOURNAL PHOTO BY JEREMY COX
Bill Huber and Jason Robbins hoist a bushel of oysters into the back of a pickup truck on Hooper’s Island, Maryland, in December 2020. Bay watermen are having little trouble reaching their state-imposed bivalve quotas each day which are fetching lower prices than last year.
With several hours of daylight to spare, Ronnie Robbins and his son, Jason, had already docked their 36-foot deadrise workboat on Hooper’s Island and started unloading their briny cargo.
Into the bed of a waiting pickup went 20 bushels of oysters dredged from the bottom of the Honga River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Once again, they’d handily harvested all they were allowed by the state to take in a day.