Oyster farming. (Photo: YouTube/StateMaryland)
Proposal to limit oyster aquaculture raises opposition
UNITED STATES
Monday, September 03, 2018, 22:30 (GMT + 9)
A proposal to set an 18-month moratorium preventing oyster aquaculture farmers from using docks in St. Mary's County, Maryland, has been discussed by the county’s commissioners, which the Chesapeake Bay Foundation opposes.
The proposal directly targets oyster farmers and would limit their ability to continue raising the bivalve, CBF reported.
According to the foundation, the oyster farms provide ancillary benefits to fishermen by serving as a habitat for other marine life such as juvenile crabs and fish and limiting the ability of aquaculture boats to access commercial docks and other piers will affect watermen.
About 63 per cent of aquaculture leases in the county since 2015 have been held by watermen, according to state lease data.
The policy also could send the economic benefit that local oyster aquaculture operations create to neighbouring counties. Oyster farmers may sell their product to businesses in Calvert County or elsewhere if they are not allowed to dock their boats and offload oysters in St. Mary's County.
In addition, this policy will not stop oyster farmers from working or obtaining leases in the county as those are regulated by the state.
Meanwhile, the University of Maryland reported that more than 60,000 bushels of oysters were harvested from aquaculture leases in 2016—a 1,019 per cent increase in bushels since 2012.
Obtaining an aquaculture lease is difficult and regulations have been put in place by the state to protect waterfront property owners, who are notified before leases are granted near their homes. The leases must be at least 50 feet from shore and channels must be made to allow boats to get to and from private docks on shore.
Now is not the time to limit oyster aquaculture, a growing segment of private investment benefitting the state's economy that also improves the health of the Chesapeake Bay.
editorial@seafood.media
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