Annapolis—Environment Maryland today released a report on the impacts of an unhealthy Chesapeake Bay for the area's commercial fishing industry. The report comes as Congress and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are considering ways to jumpstart bay restoration efforts.
"After 25 years of government efforts, the Chesapeake Bay is still dangerously sick, and the bay's watermen are paying the steepest price," said Tommy Landers, Policy Advocate for Environment Maryland. "After decades of voluntary programs, minimal accountability, and lax enforcement of bay protections, it's crystal clear that we need greater accountability and better enforcement of limits on all sources of pollution."
From the 19th century onward, the harvests of the watermen made historically significant contributions to the U.S. seafood supply. Their skills, customs, and lore, along with the fish and shellfish they provide, are fundamental to the Chesapeake Bay region's identity. Unfortunately, years of rampant pollution have threatened to destroy this important piece of Maryland's identity.
"The value of the watermen being here is two fold," said Capt. Larry Simns, President of the Maryland Watermen's Association. "One, it's like a canary in a coalmine. As long as he can make a living, the bay's healthy. When he can't, it's bad for everyone else. Second, it's good for the tourist trade, so that visitors can enjoy fresh seafood from the local area. And tourists like to see the boats out there working. They understand that seeing us out there fishing means the bay's healthy."
In 1983, the bay supported four major commercial fisheries: oysters, soft shell clams, blue crabs and striped bass. The variety of fisheries protected watermen from economic hardship in years when one of the staple species was scarce and reduced the likelihood that any one species would be overfished.
"Fish come and go. You can't count on them," said Capt. Larry Simns, President of the Maryland Watermen's Association. But "the oysters and clams was the backbone of the watermen."
The soft shell clam and oyster fisheries have since collapsed, and the commercial harvest of striped bass has been restricted to allow the fishery's survival. Crab harvests have fallen so dramatically that in 2008 the federal government declared a commercial fishery failure for soft shell and peeler crabs.
"Living resources in the bay face challenges from multiple sources, and poor water quality is a big piece of the puzzle," said Peyton Robertson, Director of the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office. "We need to balance competing demands in the Chesapeake and restore water quality to sustain viable commercial and recreational fisheries."
Pollution from wastewater treatment plants, paved surfaces in urban areas, agricultural fertilizers, and farmland runoff lead to annual dead zones that block sunlight from underwater grasses and suck up oxygen needed for marine life.
"Science has shown that poor water quality and loss of habitat have had a dramatic impact on the living resources of the bay," said Robertson. "The President's Executive Order requires that we develop new and better management tools to achieve dramatic improvements in water quality and more effective management of living resources to ensure sustainable fisheries for the long haul."
In 1999, 30 percent of the bay's deep areas met the dissolved oxygen goal of 5 parts per million or more. From 2006 to 2008, only 16 percent of the bay's deep waters met the goal, according to the Chesapeake Bay Program. Low oxygen levels can kill crabs, oysters and other fish, and oxygen levels sometimes change so quickly that blue crabs suffocate in watermen's traps. Unhealthy oxygen levels also limit the areas where watermen can fish. Bay crabbers no longer set their traps in deep water, because crabs don't stay in these low oxygen areas.
The report, Watermen Blues: Economic, Cultural and Community Impacts of Poor Water Quality in the Chesapeake Bay, includes case studies of watermen and others impacted directly by the lagging commercial fishing industry.
"My great-grandfather, my grandfather, my father and myself, we all could make a living," said retired Eastern Shore waterman Capt. Wade Murphy, one of the report's subjects. "My boys can't make a living. They've gone to carpenters. It's a damn shame."
The Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Congress are each taking steps that could revitalize bay restoration efforts. Responding to an executive order from President Obama on May 12th, the EPA recently released a draft report outlining a new plan of action. The EPA proposed a new accountability program which would allow regulators to enforce limits on all sources of pollution, with consequences for failure. Meanwhile, Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) is drafting legislation that could give the EPA the needed teeth to enforce pollution caps throughout the bay watershed.
"The EPA's new plan and Sen. Cardin's legislation are golden opportunities for federal leaders to make a bold commitment to accountability and enforcement in bay restoration," said Landers.
Read the full report, Watermen Blues: Economic, Cultural and Community Impacts of Poor Water Quality in the Chesapeake Bay.
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