Every day, fishermen across the country are working to proactively conserve and manage the marine resources that they depend on. Writing on National Geographic's Ocean Views blog, Saving Seafood Executive Director Bob Vanasse highlights one such story.
WASHINGTON (National Geographic Newswatch) July 31, 2014 — Too often, environmental groups, regulators and fishermen find themselves cast in antagonistic roles on marine issues. Prolonged legal and regulatory battles frequently top headlines, while successful conservation partnerships go unheralded. The Chesapeake Bay, long plagued by problems like pollution and runoff, is benefiting from one such partnership. Regional fishermen, government agencies and environmental groups are cooperating to restore the Bay's iconic oyster fishery. It's one of the best examples of how an effective public-private partnership works toward building a sustainable fishery and a better environment.
"Restoring oyster reefs in Chesapeake Bay is essential because they play so many critical roles," said Mark Bryer, Director of the Nature Conservancy's Chesapeake Bay Program, which helped bring private funds to restoration efforts in Maryland, particularly to examine their effectiveness. "We know from experiences here and around the world that success requires large-scale action and everyone playing a part, including the oyster industry, private citizens, government agencies, and non-profit organizations."
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Some of the Bay's biggest fishing companies are vital to the effort. Virginia oyster processors like Bevans Oyster Company, in Kinsale; Cowart Seafood, in Lottsburg; and Kellum Seafood, in Weems, provide the VMRC with the recycled shells necessary for the project. Each year, shells are distributed to replenish the oyster beds, with the newly laid shells allowing oyster larvae to settle on the beds and grow into new oysters. Kellum also contracts with the VMRC to deliver the shells and other materials to beds across the state, using boats designed to travel in the shallow waters where the beds are located.
"It's a great opportunity in fisheries management for the industry to be able to support the sustainability of the fishery," said Tommy Kellum, of Kellum Seafood. "It's one of the few fisheries where the byproduct of consumption – leftover shells – can be used to sustain the resource."
Omega Protein Corporation, which operates the largest fishery in the Chesapeake Bay, annually donates the use of land at its Reedville, Va. facility to serve as a staging area for the recycled oyster shells before they can be redistributed to the state's reefs. In addition to providing storage space, the company's facilities are a convenient, centralized location, with easy access to the Bay and major rivers.
"We're very happy to help with Virginia's oyster restoration efforts by providing shell storage and deep-water access for loading," said Monty Deihl, Omega Protein Corporation's Senior Director of Plant Operations in Reedville. "A thriving oyster population is vital to the health of the Chesapeake Bay, our fellow watermen's livelihoods, and the state's economy."
Read the full story at National Geographic