Strategy For Bay Oysters

The governor, saying a new restoration strategy is long overdue, pointed out that a combined $39 million investment by state and federal governments has been made between 1994 and 2007, with no improvement to oyster numbers.

For too long, Mr O'Malley said, the state has been "literally chasing our own tail" by putting millions of oysters into the bay to boost the population, only to have millions taken out.

"We need to change what we've been doing and make a new tomorrow," Mr O'Malley said, speaking at water's edge next to the former McNasby Oyster Co. that closed in 1987 and is now a museum.

Oysters are important to the health of the bay, which is the nation's largest estuary, because they are natural water filters.

The plan will increase the number, size and quality of Maryland's network of oyster sanctuaries from nine per cent to 24 per cent of remaining quality habitat and increase the state's ability to enforce protections for sanctuaries.

"This will create jobs for workers to rehabilitate oyster bars, re-establish oyster populations in target areas, allow oysters to live longer, develop natural resistance to disease and to spawn without harvest pressure," Mr O'Malley said.

The plan also moves the state more toward developing aquaculture, which is the practice of growing oysters in cages, racks or trays placed in rivers and creeks. More areas will be made available for leasing to oyster aquaculture.

Mr O'Malley, a Democrat, noted that aquaculture already is producing tens of millions of dollars in dockside value in Virginia.

"That potential exists in Maryland as well," he said. "We just have to harness it. We have to do the things that we need to do so that we can not only catch up with where Virginia is with aquaculture but, hopefully, move past them."

The plan also calls for identifying areas off limits to leasing to maintain 167,720 acres of natural oyster bars for the wild oyster fishery, including 76 per cent of the bay's remaining quality oyster habitat.

Larry Simns, president of the Maryland Waterman's Association, said he was only first told of the plan Wednesday. He said watermen were frustrated for not being consulted in what he described as "a big top secret thing."

Still, he said Maryland Department of Natural Resources Secretary, John Griffin assured him during a meeting that the state will work with watermen.

"There's a lot of moving parts to this plan," Mr Griffin said. "There's a lot of detail, a lot of maps, so we're going to spend a lot of time working with all stakeholders and the general public."