Commercial Fishing in Chesapeake Bay

Chesapeake Bay commercial fishing boat

The term "Chesapeake Bay" comes from the Powhatan Indian language, meaning "Great Shellfish Bay". Even before the English colonized the area in the 1600s, the Chesapeake Bay was providing bountiful seafood for the Native Americans. The arrival of English colonists started the commercial fishing business in the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers. The Chesapeake Bay is the world's largest estuary, the place where freshwater rivers meet the salt water of the oceans.

Fish and Shellfish

The Chesapeake Bay provides habitat for many species of fish and shellfish. Several species of bass such as black, striped, largemouth, smallmouth and black sea bass populate the bay. King mackerel, red drum, spanish mackerel, sturgeon, flounder and tile fish are also found in the bay, along with crabs, lobsters, clams and oysters.

First Commercial Fishing

One of the Chesapeake Bay's first commercial fishermen was George Washington, one of the founding fathers of America. He and several other wealthy landowners in the Chesapeake Bay area increased their harvest size by using haul seines, large nets with weights at the bottom and floats at the top. Fish were trapped in the nets as it was pulled ashore. The fish were salted and placed in barrels. The fish were used to feed local slaves and were also shipped to West Indies sugar plantations for slaves there.

Commercial Crabbing

Blue crabs and soft-shelled crabs have been a local delicacy for people near the Chesapeake Bay ever since the first English colonies in the 17th century. Since crabs could not be salted, they were not commercially feasible until 1873, the year refrigerated railroad cars were introduced to America. When crabs were introduced to markets outside the Chesapeake Bay area, demand was strong, and commercial crabbing became a growth industry.

Virginia Commercial Fishing Regulations

The Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) is the Commonwealth's regulatory agency for recreational and commercial fishing operations. VMRC's goal is to balance current commercial needs for finfish and shellfish with the Chesapeake Bay's ability to sustain its fish and wildlife population for future generations. This is accomplished by tracking the annual harvests of the species that are open to commercial fishing. Once the species limits have been reached, that species' harvesting season is closed.

Maryland Oyster Fishing

The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is Maryland's state agency charged with commercial fishing regulations in the Chesapeake Bay. In May 2010, Governor Marvin O'Malley initiated an oyster restoration and aquaculture plan to reverse the dwindling oyster population and oyster harvesting business. The oyster population is down to 1 percent of historical highs. Maryland had 58 oyster processing plants in 1974; today there are only 8. The plan establishes more Bay areas as wild oyster sanctuaries and increased usage of aquaculture to give the Maryland fishermen more work.

References

• Virginia Marine Resources Commission: Commercial Fishing in Virginia's Tidal Waters
• Maryland Division of Natural Resources: A Short History of Commercial Fishing in the Chesapeake Bay Area
• BayDreaming: Chesapeake Bay History
• Chesapeake Bay Program: Bay History
• Chesapeake Bay News: Maryland Announces New Oyster Regulations