Nov 14, 2017
In 2015, Maryland Department of Natural Resources(DNR) made the decision to further their longstanding application to the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACOE) and Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) for authorization to dredge fossil oyster shell from Man O War Shoal in the Upper Bay. The MDE has recommended approval of a Tidal Wetlands License by the State of Maryland Board of Public Works, which is one of the two required authorizations. The Board of Public Works, which is comprised of Governor Larry Hogan, Comptroller Peter Franchot, and Treasurer Nancy Kopp, is now accepting your input on this plan through November 21st, and we hope that you will take the time to reach out and let them know what you think.
For 46 years ending in 2006, Maryland allowed the dredging of fossil oyster shell from the Upper Bay. This program was called the repletion program, which mined fossil shell from areas where oyster populations weren’t as strong, and moved that shell to areas with higher spat yields so that young oysters would begin growing, and then move that same shell to public fishery areas where it would be harvested. Marketed in part as allowing for a sustainable oyster harvest, it was anything but. The action was started at a time when the Bay-wide oyster harvest was approximately 1.5 million bushels per year, and ended in a year where the harvest was approximately 26,000 bushels. While not solely attributable to the repletion program itself, this major decline in harvest can be seen as a proxy for the health of oyster populations in the state. Over the 46 year period it is estimated that 185-200 million bushels of shell were moved.
Now DNR and certain parts of the industry want to restart the repletion program by dredging fossil oyster shell from Man O’ War Shoal off the mouth of the Patapsco River in Baltimore County. The shell would be mechanically dredged from one of the few remaining large shell beds in the Upper Bay and is proposed to be used for undefined applications and proportions for the “restoration of native oyster populations and oyster fisheries”, which could include the traditional replenishment program for the public oyster fishery, use in sanctuaries, and in supporting aquaculture efforts.
Now is your chance to provide your thoughts to the Board of Public Works on the MDE recommendation for the approval of a Tidal Wetlands License that would allow for the dredging of fossil shell from Man O War Shoal. CCA Maryland has fought this issue for ten years and is doing so now, but we need your help. We oppose DNR’s plans and the application for the following reasons:
You can share your thoughts about the application by contacting Bill Morgante, Wetlands Administrator for the Board of Public Works via email at bill.morgante@maryland.gov no later than 5pm on Tuesday, November 21st.
To find more information on DNR’s plans, the application itself, and other supporting materials, please visit the BPW’s website and click through the links found on the lower left corner of the page.
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