February 3, 2020 — Overriding a veto by Gov. Larry Hogan, Maryland lawmakers enacted legislation Thursday requiring a more consensus-based approach to managing the state’s beleaguered oyster population.
The new law is the latest round in a years-long tug of war between the Hogan administration and legislators over oyster management. It directs the Department of Natural Resources to work with scientists, mediators and an expanded roster of stakeholders to seek agreement where little has existed to date on how to increase the abundance and sustainability of the Chesapeake Bay’s keystone species.
The bill cleared the House by a vote of 95 to 43. That was a few votes less than it got when originally passed last year but still more than the three-fifths majority needed for a veto override. The Senate quickly followed suit, voting 31-15 to make it law despite the governor’s objections.
Supporters of the measure said it was needed to direct the DNR to revamp the oyster management plan it had adopted last year. Environmentalists and their allies in the General Assembly have complained that the administration has favored watermen’s interests in seeking to open oyster sanctuaries to harvest and is not moving forcefully enough to end the overfishing found in a 2018 scientific assessment.