Legislators Debate the Oyster Fishery

C

Crow Bait

New Member
The MPT program "State Circle" featured a debate on HB 1525 during their "Face Off" segment.

It's actually a pretty good debate. It's nice to see legislators finally discussing this sort of thing, no matter what side of the argument they're on.

March 26, 2010 | State Circle | PBS Video

Scroll the video to 11:45 to get to the debate.
 
Larry Gude

Larry Gude

Strung Out
Couldn't find the piece?

Just as comment, I fly over the bay a fair bit and it is heart breaking to see the filth flowing into the bay from the air. Water men are not real estate men. I certainly do understand the overall economic dynamics and all those home owners are also consumers of the waterman's labors but, just as we can't harvest the bay to death, neither can we develop it to death.

What we are seeing, in my view, is the devastation of 'smart' growth from back in the Glendening days where the argument, and law, was made that density was best leaving open spaces. Well, once you build the density, those open spaces become ripe for the next development. And the next.

When you build a home with some land, you've opened things up a good bit. When you build something on that land that has 20 -30 people in the same space instead of a family, well, we see the results.

Growth is killing the bay.
 
Larry Gude

Larry Gude

Strung Out
The oyster population has been low for years, Sossi said, but it isn't getting worse. So while he wants to see the population rebound soon, he said the state needs to give aquaculture more time to work before changing the rules.
Click to expand...

Know anything about that? I don't and that is what interests me.

:buddies:
 
C

Crow Bait

New Member
Larry Gude said:
Know anything about that? I don't and that is what interests me.

:buddies:
Click to expand...

Last year the General Assembly passed a law to make it easier to do aquaculture, and this year the Governor announced the implementation of the law.

Governor O'Malley Proposes Oyster Restoration and Aquaculture Development Plan

Details are still fuzzy, but it appears that there will be low interest loans and grants available to those who would like to give aquaculture a shot.

Delegate Sossi is right that we need some time to see how successful the industry transitions to aquaculture, but there's never a bad time to stop overfishing. With oysters remaining at 1% of their historic abundance - a serious look needs to be taken at the harvest of oysters on public bottom. Oysters are not a silver bullet, but they are one critical element of a healthy bay.
 
Larry Gude

Larry Gude

Strung Out
Crow Bait said:
Last year the General Assembly passed a law to make it easier to do aquaculture, and this year the Governor announced the implementation of the law.

Governor O'Malley Proposes Oyster Restoration and Aquaculture Development Plan

Details are still fuzzy, but it appears that there will be low interest loans and grants available to those who would like to give aquaculture a shot.

Delegate Sossi is right that we need some time to see how successful the industry transitions to aquaculture, but there's never a bad time to stop overfishing. With oysters remaining at 1% of their historic abundance - a serious look needs to be taken at the harvest of oysters on public bottom. Oysters are not a silver bullet, but they are one critical element of a healthy bay.
Click to expand...

My question is, is it working, the aqua culture and, if so, shouldn't we be accelerating it?

I'll check the vid in a bit. Thanks!

:buddies:
 
C

Crow Bait

New Member
Larry Gude said:
My question is, is it working, the aqua culture and, if so, shouldn't we be accelerating it?

I'll check the vid in a bit. Thanks!

:buddies:
Click to expand...

Aquaculture is working in nearly every state and developed nation that produces oysters. Maryland is one of the last states that allows for a harvest off public bottom. It should absolutely be accelerated. It creates jobs, provides a marketable product, and cleans water...

It's definitely a tough transition for those that have relied on harvesting oysters off public bottom (planted by the state), but a win-win in the long run.
 
Larry Gude

Larry Gude

Strung Out
Crow Bait said:
Aquaculture is working in nearly every state and developed nation that produces oysters. Maryland is one of the last states that allows for a harvest off public bottom. It should absolutely be accelerated. It creates jobs, provides a marketable product, and cleans water...

It's definitely a tough transition for those that have relied on harvesting oysters off public bottom (planted by the state), but a win-win in the long run.
Click to expand...

Isn't it all 'public bottom'?
 
C

Crow Bait

New Member
Indeed... it is all public (except for very specific situations).

I say public bottom because most people forget that it's public, but also to distinguish between leased and un-leased bottom.

In order to conduct an aquaculture operation you need to have special rights to the bottom, and to get those rights - you have to lease it from the state. The law passed last year streamlines the leasing process to encourage aquaculture.
 
kom526

kom526

They call me ... Sarcasmo
Larry Gude said:
Couldn't find the piece?

Just as comment, I fly over the bay a fair bit and it is heart breaking to see the filth flowing into the bay from the air. Water men are not real estate men. I certainly do understand the overall economic dynamics and all those home owners are also consumers of the waterman's labors but, just as we can't harvest the bay to death, neither can we develop it to death.

What we are seeing, in my view, is the devastation of 'smart' growth from back in the Glendening days where the argument, and law, was made that density was best leaving open spaces. Well, once you build the density, those open spaces become ripe for the next development. And the next.

When you build a home with some land, you've opened things up a good bit. When you build something on that land that has 20 -30 people in the same space instead of a family, well, we see the results.

Growth is killing the bay.
Click to expand...

Pretty much the same thing I said in the bag tax thread...
http://forums.somd.com/4223274-post38.html
 
C

Crow Bait

New Member
I agree with everyone that says water quality is a problem... no question about it.

A couple of things come to mind:

1) Oysters filter bay water - 50 gallons of water each day per oyster. Acting to end the harvest of oysters and ramping up aquaculture will not restore bay water quality, but it would certainly be a step in the right direction.

2) Even with bad water quality we still have a resource to manage. I haven't found a single public resource that remains at 1% of it's historic abundance that is still harvested for sale.
 
kom526

kom526

They call me ... Sarcasmo
Wasn't the county dragging its feet on the aquaculture thing, specifically Circle C oyster farm? They couldn't get the zoning or something squared away when in fact all they were worried about was how to tax them out of existence?
 
Larry Gude

Larry Gude

Strung Out
Crow Bait said:
2) Even with bad water quality we still have a resource to manage. I haven't found a single public resource that remains at 1% of it's historic abundance that is still harvested for sale.
Click to expand...

There are abundant resources that have been run out of business by the state and political vogue, ie, tobacco, point being that I think there is room to consider the economic impact of long time small family business. Agreed?

It would be good for the state, in my view, to license X amounts of folks to harvest and keep it there for, what, a decade or more or at some appropriate time as when the abundance far exceeds what they harvest while hugely emphasizing this aquaculture, presuming it is effective and efficient.

In short, I would like to see something politically improbable; stop picking on the little, tiny guy and focus on the large scale problem.

Please correct me where I may be off track. :buddies:
 
C

Crow Bait

New Member
kom526 said:
Wasn't the county dragging its feet on the aquaculture thing, specifically Circle C oyster farm? They couldn't get the zoning or something squared away when in fact all they were worried about was how to tax them out of existence?
Click to expand...

Circle C came about in a time when aquaculture was not really encouraged. Since new laws have passed, and the Governor has made it a priority - it should be easier to get started.

Another thing, Circle C is a great model, but it's not the only way to grow oysters. I know when I think about aquaculture, my mind goes straight to oysters in floats (because they grow fast and are delicious). However, there are dozens of different ways to grow oysters. Cages, floats, racks, trays, seeding leased bottom, etc. Each have their own pro's and con's. Each can be discovered with a quick google search.
 
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C

Crow Bait

New Member
555 people are licensed to harvest oysters in MD off public bottom.
489 people reported a harvest by December 2009 (First half of the season)
~200 people reported a harvest worth more than $2500 during that same period.

I gathered those numbers from testimony given by MD DNR at bill hearing at the MD Senate.

I'd say a decade is too long based on those numbers. oystering is a part time job, at best. In terms of picking on the "little guy", I don't see it that way, because without some change - the little guy won't be around much longer.
 
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Larry Gude

Larry Gude

Strung Out
Crow Bait said:
555 people are licensed to harvest oysters in MD off public bottom.
489 people reported a harvest by December 2009 (First half of the season)
~200 people reported a harvest worth more than $2500 during that same period.

I gathered those numbers from testimony given by MD DNR at bill hearing at the MD Senate.

I'd say a decade is too long based on those numbers. oystering is a part time job, at best. In terms of picking on the "little guy", I don't see it that way, because without some change - the little guy won't be around much longer.
Click to expand...

I certainly do not know what I am talking about in detail on this issue. Just offering up observations and comments from my view and seeking a better understanding of the issues.
 
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