DNR Continuing to Monitor for Bay Impacts

[Skip]

Research the ORP - Oyster recovery program.

Lot of money already flows to oystersmen. It is more a put / take then a real recovery effort - IMHO. Seems that kind of money should give better results.

Then there are the poachers - raiding the sanctuary areas.

Oysters left alone would help clear up the bay. Then sea grasses could grow - these help even more.

I talk to guys who fished in the early 60's - just 50 years ago. They tell me how clear the water was and grass beds so thick they could not get boats through them in summer time.

While everyone argues / studies what needs to be done - oysters are quietly filtering bay water. Get enough of them out there - water would improve.

[crabby and son]

Oysters never go on strike, work for free and never call out sick. Hard to bet!..........Gary

[reds]

Originally Posted by Skip

Research the ORP - Oyster recovery program.

Lot of money already flows to oystersmen. It is more a put / take then a real recovery effort - IMHO. Seems that kind of money should give better results.

Then there are the poachers - raiding the sanctuary areas.

Oysters left alone would help clear up the bay. Then sea grasses could grow - these help even more.

I talk to guys who fished in the early 60's - just 50 years ago. They tell me how clear the water was and grass beds so thick they could not get boats through them in summer time.

While everyone argues / studies what needs to be done - oysters are quietly filtering bay water. Get enough of them out there - water would improve.

I fished the early 60's and most of the 50's. The key was the amount of rain and runoff, just like it is now.

The difference between then and now is the number of people and the effluent that is pumped into the bay. Oysters can't live in a septic tank. They couldn't then, they can't now.

[Spot77]

Originally Posted by reds

I fished the early 60's and most of the 50's. The key was the amount of rain and runoff, just like it is now.

The difference between then and now is the number of people and the effluent that is pumped into the bay. Oysters can't live in a septic tank. They couldn't then, they can't now.

I agree that the runoff is a big part of the problem.

But oysters, when in abundance absolutely could liveand thrive in a polluted bay. There just needs to be enough of them that each one can handle the burden.

I couldn't soak up a bottle of spilled water with one paper towel. But if I had an entire roll, the job would be easy.

[Skip]

Not trying to be smart - oysters can tolerate some nasty / polluted waters.

Certain areas are off limits to harvesting oysters - all the time - due to pollution concerns.

Other oyster beds have been closed for short periods when found to be contaminated by polluted water.

Sad part - sometimes oysters watermen would take them to market .

[reds]

Originally Posted by Skip

Not trying to be smart - oysters can tolerate some nasty / polluted waters.

Certain areas are off limits to harvesting oysters - all the time - due to pollution concerns.

Other oyster beds have been closed for short periods when found to be contaminated by polluted water.

Sad part - sometimes oysters watermen would take them to market .

Yeah. They tolerate polluted waters, but they don't reproduce.
What happens when Dermo and MSX goes on the upswing again?

Unless the bay is cleaned up, the diseases will find a way to keep the oyster population down.

[Spot77]

Originally Posted by Skip

Not trying to be smart - oysters can tolerate some nasty / polluted waters.

Certain areas are off limits to harvesting oysters - all the time - due to pollution concerns.

Other oyster beds have been closed for short periods when found to be contaminated by polluted water.

Sad part - sometimes oysters watermen would take them to market .

Originally Posted by reds

Yeah. They tolerate polluted waters, but they don't reproduce.
What happens when Dermo and MSX goes on the upswing again?

Unless the bay is cleaned up, the diseases will find a way to keep the oyster population down.

So are we in a big circle of never seeing any gains?

The oysters can't survive because of disease and pollution and the disease and pollution will stay rampant because there's no oysters to filter the water?

It's a shame people decades ago couldn't foresee this problem. I have a client who used to work at the Coast Guard yard in Curtis Bay. He told me how the ships' maintenance crews used to just dump leftover paints and solvents into the water to get rid of them.

In the ealy 90's I volunteered on a few cleanups of the Patapsco Valley State Park land along River Rd in Linthicum. People used to dump SO much trash and old tires along there....it was disgusting.

[Skip]

Reds - There is evidence that the oysters are becoming immune to the diseases that almost wiped them out.

Key - IMHO - is to allow these oysters to breed. Taking the survivors makes little sense in the long run.

There are reports of very good spat this year - that could jump start the recovery of oysters.

I sometimes fish out of Wachapreaque and see oyster bars that break the surface.

Years ago - way back - oyster bars in the bay were considered a navigation hazard. They broke surface on low tide - in 12 feet of water.

It makes no sense to me to continue to harvest something at 2% of former population. Guess if the bay were to get cleaned up - some would be out great paying jobs .