Mar 16, 2015

For the first time since 2000, the Department of Natural Resources endorsed extending the oyster harvesting season in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries for Maryland watermen. This was due to the harsh winter that froze those waters, causing watermen to miss a good portion of the season. Also, for the first time in six years, state regulators opened up Kent Narrows to shellfish harvesting. It is a rare case for watermen to gain a new area to tong for the prized oysters.

: The early morning sun is reflected in watermen’s boats at Queen Anne’s County Docks. Robert T. Brown Sr., president of the Maryland Watermen’s Association, said watermen appreciate any help from the state after a tough winter. He said the opening of the Narrows might help some watermen in that area eke out a living as the winter oyster season winds down. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: Jason Cruse hauled 18-foot-long oyster tongs – the rake-like devices watermen use to scoop up oysters – from a pickup truck and loaded them onto the Wrangler. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: Empty oyster shells lie on the shore next to the Kent Narrows bridge at left. Kent Narrows had been closed for years for public health reasons: Filter-feeding oysters are particularly sensitive to pollution. Regular testing, however, shows the water quality is usually acceptable for shellfish, So after watermen asked the state to re-open the Kent Narrows, MDE officials reviewed the data and determined that it’s safe enough to eat shellfish from those waters. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: Jason Cruse, center, and Dennis Hampton, right with back to camera, move nets on Hampton’s boat, the “Wrangler,” to make room for oyster tongs. They’d been working a nearby area that’s open to harvesting, and Cruse predicted there would be large, healthy oysters in Kent Narrows. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: Dennis Hampton unties his boat, the “Wrangler,” from a post near Bridges Restaurant and Dock on Wells Cove Rd. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: Dennis Hampton maneuvers his boat, the “Wrangler” from the dock near Bridges Restaurant and Dock on Wells Cove Rd.(Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: The base of the Kent Narrows bridge is visible behind the “Wrangler” work boat owned by Dennis Hampton. Watermen have had a rough winter, as the cold weather froze up the Chesapeake Bay’s rivers and creeks – and some of the main bay itself – making it near impossible to work for weeks at a time. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: Captain Dennis Hampton is pictured on his work boat, the “Wrangler.” Today the state opens the waters of Kent Narrows to oyster harvesting. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: Owner and captain Dennis Hampton is pictured on his boat, the “Wrangler,” near Bridges Restaurant and Dock on Wells Cove Rd. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: Owner and captain Dennis Hampton steers his boat, the “Wrangler,” out of the Queen Anne’s County Docks to harvest oysters. Today the state opens up the waters of Kent Narrows to oyster harvesting and endorsed the watermen’s request for a longer season. The last time the oyster season was extended was in 2000, when watermen faced similar cold, icy conditions in winter. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: The “Oopsy Daisey” at right passes the “Wrangler” at left. Both boats were oyster harvesting in the Kent Narrows. Today the state opens the waters of Kent Narrows to oyster harvesting. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: Oyster tongs are lined up on Lenell Jones’s boat, “My Three Kids XOS,” docked at Queen Anne’s County Docks. Jones is considering taking his boat out for oystering Kent Narrows later this week. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: Lenell Jones is pictured in his vehicle at Queen Anne’s County Docks where he keeps his boat, My Three Kids XOS. “Watermen really took a hard hit,” said Queen Anne’s County watermen Jones. “It was frozen in February. We lost the whole month.” (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: The sun reflects off the water at Queen Anne’s County Docks. As dawn broke over the still waters of Kent Narrows on Monday morning, just a couple of workboats ventured out carrying watermen in search of oysters. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: At Harris Seafood Company, a worker sorts Maryland oysters harvested from waterways around the Chesapeake Bay. Because its been a hard oyster season for the waterman, today the state opened the waters of Kent Narrows to oyster harvesting. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

Oyster harvesting at Kent Narrows

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