Lewis Carter, 79, has been oystering and crabbing since he was 15 years old. DENNIS FORNEY PHOTOS

A warm and sunny afternoon in late March. Light winds. A dozen or so deadrises still oystering out on Broad Creek.

Many of the boats have already come in; the earliest, two young divers who have been the first to get their 12-bushel limits for many days now.

Price has been holding steady at $35 per bushel to the watermen. Pretty much about that all season. When the wild season ends, the bushel price may nearly double for cultivated oysters. Supply goes down, demand holds steady for another couple months, price goes up.  Like the tides, up and down.

Last day of the 2024-2025 wild oyster season is just around the corner: March 31.  On April 1, the 2025 crabbing season opens.

Two of the vessels working the hand-tonging waters on this day carry watermen many generations apart in ages.

A third vessel, Bobby B, carries a waterman and his partner, Ann Barrett, who shares the culling chores. They’re underway toward the dock to offload.

Jason Gay can’t wait for the season to end.

“So many boats out there, after six months it’s getting harder and harder to get our oysters.”

They’ve been oystering many years. Six-month seasons, starting Oct. 1.  When March 31 arrives, they’re ready for a change of pace.  Then it will be about six months of crabbing.  When October rolls around, Jason will be glad to trade his trotline for his hand tongs.  That’s the rhythm for these watermen.

“I’ll probably start crabbing in mid April,” he says. “Get the boat cleaned up and then go.”

Tonging oysters off the bottom is dirtier work than dipping crabs from trotline baits.

Off will come the tongs and culling tables.  On will come the canopy to provide shade against the sun, along with the trotlining gear: baskets and nets and measuring sticks.

Jason Gay is ready for the wild oyster season to be over.

Out in the creek, men aboard the two other generations-apart vessels have finished tonging.  They’re near the end of their culling: separating legal-size oysters from the smalls with sharp blows from their metal hammers, tossing over empty shells to catch next year’s spat, filling their final baskets of the day.

Lewis Carter works by himself. “No January, no February for me,” he says.  “Can’t stand no cold. Used to break ice to get out here but no more. I’m 79 years old.  Been doing this since I was 15.  64 years.  Charles Bryan took me on when I was 11, culling oysters, cleaning up. Quit school when I was 15. Other than time in the Army,  I’ve been at this ever since.”

Lewis says he opted for the water to make a living. “Back then the minimum wage was 75 cents an hour. Figured I could do better on the water.”

Lewis trotlines summers out of Kent Narrows, mostly in Cabin Creek and Chester River. He lives nearby in Queenstown but brings his boat down  to Broad Creek in the winter for oysters. “They won’t let you oyster in the Chester, only certain times they have reserved.”

He says he doesn’t like the sanctuaries the state has in place where oystering is prohibited.  He doesn’t think the sanctuaries are doing much for the Chesapeake’s oyster populations. “The oysters have always taken care of themselves.”

He named his boat after his granddaughter, Chelonte.  “I bought it off of Capt. Warren Butler.  He had 17 boats over the years.  This was his last one.”

He said this year’s been a good oyster season. “Good oysters, about the same as last year. I guess I’ll keep on doing it until I can’t do it any more.  It’s better than settin’ home, waiting for death.  I’ll meet him halfway.”

A few hundred yards away, also working the typically productive bars of Broad Creek, just north of the Choptank, Kadan Longenecker and Severn Cummings agree that the 2024-2025 season has been a good year despite the ups and downs of the market.

Kadan says the bars are in good shape with lots of little ones still coming. “You can see the growth in them.”

Many decades younger than Lewis, they worked right on through January and February, as long as they had market and weather cooperated.  They’ll follow suit with Lewis, switching to crabbing. They will start in April

But Lewis said he won’’t start until probably the middle of May.  He’ll take his time switching his gear, giving his lean and hard body a rest, letting the air and water warm up, but giving little thought to staying home as he enters his eighth decade of life on the Chesapeake.

Dennis Forney has been a publisher, journalist and columnist on the Delmarva Peninsula since 1972.  He writes from his home on Grace Creek in Bozman.

Nick Hargrove on the deck of the buyboat Bivalve he uses for deploying shells to Chesapeake Bay oyster bars. His rapidly growing Tilghman Island Seafood operation is located just over the drawbridge at Knapps Narrows. DENNIS FORNEY PHOTO

“At Tilghman Island Seafood, we collaborate closely with watermen who are dedicated to the Chesapeake Bay’s unique ecosystem.  These local watermen recognize that their livelihoods are deeply connected to the health of our waters. We are committed to balancing productive fishing with responsible practices to help secure the Bay’s future.” – FromTilghman Island Seafood’s promotional marketing material

Rumplestiltskin perfected a method for spinning straw into gold.  A pretty neat trick.

Now some latter-day local Rumplestiltskins– swapping American ingenuity for the spinning wheel–are doing something similar except with invasive catfish and oyster shells instead of straw.

Blue catfish ravaging Chesapeake Bay’s crabbing and finfish industries, and millions of tons of discarded and aging oyster shells on Washington’s Pacific coast are proving profitable for enterprising watermen. Ecological benefits are also part of this unique equation.

Nick Hargrove of Tilghman Island Seafood and his oyster partners at Dorchester County’s Farm Creek Oyster Farm and Madison Shell Recycling–brothers Alex and Benny Horseman–are in the thick of what is shaping up to be an inspired renaissance for the Chesapeake seafood industry. Inspired, because Hargrove’s marketing of catfish from coast to coast is helping control a damaging invasive species, while importing discarded west coast oyster shells is helping address the scarcity of local oyster shells needed for restoration of the Chesapeake’s oyster populations. Good for the oyster industry. and good for cleaning the Bay’s waters.

That, in turn, is solving Pacific Seafood’s dilemma of what to do with endless piles of oyster shells discarded after their meats have been harvested.

“Pacific Seafood is one of the West Coast’s largest seafood processors,” said Hargrove in a recent interview. “Up until now the only use for the shells has been by Washington state for nature trails. They looked at us like we were crazy when we told them we thought we could use them all. We’re talking about seven million or so tons of old oyster shells, piled up in heaps forty and fifty feet tall.”

So, while Hargrove has been building a nationwide network of catfish sales, including Whole Foods and other seafood purveyors, he and his oyster partners successfully completed the lengthy process necessary to receive Maryland’s first permit for importing non-native shells for restoration and aquaculture.

After the permit process to ensure the old and aged imported shells won’t create another invasive species problem, it appears the west coast trove will meet decades of need for replenishing, rebuilding and seeding the Bay’s oyster bars. “The big deal for the permitting was the fact that these west coast shells are domestic and not foreign,” said Hargrove.

When weather isn’t hampering catfish and oyster harvesting, as ice is doing now, Hargrove’s operations handle 100,000 pounds of fresh catfish filets and 1,000 bushels of oysters per week.

He employs 30 people in processing and about 70 watermen who harvest the oysters and catfish.

 “It’s a lot of responsibility and requires lots of capital,” said Hargrove.

“Ice in the upper Chesapeake is keeping our catfish watermen in and that’s hampering our production,” he said recently.  “We like to handle about 20,000 pounds of filets a day, but in weather like this we’re lucky to get 20,000 pounds a week. Demand is exceeding our ability to supply, but that goes with this business. There will always be ups and downs.  We’ve learned to bob and weave.”

The juggling act is continuous: perfecting marketing and sales, creating new products like catfish nuggets, seeking legislation to further enhance catfish harvesting, and making plans for meeting spring and summer planting demands for oyster shells being trucked east.

 “Right now I’m working with Sen. Johnny Mautz on a bill that would allow electric-shock fishing for catfish,” said Hargrove.  “That would be particularly helpful for the summer when the fish aren’t as hungry.”

At the same time, he and his partners are figuring out how many oyster shells they will be able to sell to the state for this year’s demands. The state buys loads of bushels with attached spat–baby, tick-sized oysters–as well as bare shells.

Bare shells are deployed to help rebuild oyster bars with material that attracts naturally occurring oyster spat in the Bay’s waters. Spa- on-shell are used to seed sanctuary, public fishery and leased aquaculture bottom where proper substrate, also known as cultch, already exists.

Chris Judy, director of Maryland’s shellfish division, said the west coast oyster shells–of the crassostrea gigas species–are proving effective at attracting spat. “They have been properly assessed and approved, and have the added advantage of being less expensive than shell bought from Virginia. Even being shipped all the way across the country they are still less expensive than the shells from Virginia,” said Judy.

He said west coast gigas shells, as well as crushed concrete and rocks, have been tested by University of Maryland’s Horn Point Laboratory in Dorchester County as possible alternatives to the native crassostrea virginica oyster shells typically used for restoration. Because of demand up and down the Chesapeake, in Maryland and Virginia for restoration projects, native shells–recycled after harvesting and shucking–are in short supply.

In laboratory conditions, the gigas shells proved the most effective of all the alternatives at attracting spat.  They even proved more effective than native shells included as part of the test.

“That was in laboratory conditions,” said Judy. “In the Bay waters, in more variable conditions, the gigas shells performed better than native shells in some areas, equal to them in other areas, and not as well in some areas.

“We deployed about 89,000 bushels of gigas shells last May and June–just shells–in places like Tangier Sound, Honga River and Harris Creek to improve the oyster bars, the spat set and to enhance the industry,” said Judy. “When we checked on them again in the fall, we found they had worked well.  A favorable spat set. They do the job, as do the other alternatives, but these are more cost effective. Concrete and rocks also work as a substrate for catching spat, but they are more expensive.”

Hot-off-the-press printed materials developed by Tilghman Island Seafood are helping build nation-wide sales of Chesapeake Bay catfish

The gigas shells, said Judy, will be a “major contribution” to what is already being accomplished in Maryland’s oyster restoration efforts.

Over the next two months, Judy said the shellfish division will be contacting various county oyster committee officials to determine their preferences for where in 2025 they would like bare oyster shells and spat-on-shell planted. Those discussions will also include what kind of shells would be preferred.

Between federal funds, state capital funds, sanctuary funds, bushel taxes, oyster export taxes and surcharge fees paid by watermen for oystering licenses, the state has millions of dollars to spend over the next few years for planting bare shells, seeding with spat on shell, and other restoration efforts.

That is in addition to other efforts such as Oyster Restoration Partnership initiatives which included hundreds of millions of spat on shell deployed in  2024.

Judy said that given the attractiveness of the West Coast gigas shells supply and their cost effectiveness, the amount the shellfish division buys this year will be up to how much Hargrove wants to sell and the amount funding will allow. He said that includes bare shells and spat-on-shell for public fishery bars, and for whatever may be available for the state’s oyster sanctuaries.

Hargrove said he sees the gigas shells as a game changer.  “We received our permit to use the shells in August of 2022. In 2023 we deployed about 100,000 bushels of spat-on-shell, and 180,000 bushels in 2024.  That’s for public and private ground seeding efforts. We deployed more spat-on-shell bushels on private grounds than on public grounds and that’s a first.” They also deployed hundreds of thousands of bushels of bare gigas shells for bottom restoration purposes.

Hargrove said he used a pen and the back of a napkin to design the oyster-tanks-and-cages system he uses for his spat-on-shell operation at the Tilghman Island Seafood complex.

Using larvae purchased from oyster hatcheries like Horn Point, near Cambridge, and Ferry Cove, near Tilghman, he blends them into cages filled with about 30 bushels of oyster shells in tanks pumped full of  Bay water from Knapps Narrows.

The larvae take about two weeks to attach to the bare shells.  “When the spat are about the size of a tick on the shells, we lift the cages out of the tanks and transport them to a hopper and conveyor belt.  We load them on the decks of buy boats we use to take them to the bars designated by the different state and county entities.

“We’re getting the resources we need,” said Hargrove, “and the industry is starting to grow. Now we have access to the shells we need, access to all the larvae we need for spat–Ferry Cove is doing a helluva job–and we have the capacity to exceed the state’s needs and handle private aquaculture needs as well. Plus, we can do it cheaper than buying from Virginia and keep all the money in Maryland instead.”

Judy said results from the annual statewide fall oyster survey in October will be released in March.  “Generally speaking, the Bay received a spat set, and the survival rate was good.  The spat from the tremendous, widely distributed set we saw in 2023 are growing now to smalls.  That’s all positive news.”

Nick Hargrove provided this image of a small portion of the West Coast treasure trove of discarded and aged oyster shells now filling a missing link in the Chesapeake oyster restoration initiative. The heaps of shells, like ancient Native American middens, are located on Pacific Seafood’s property in Washington state.

Dennis Forney has been a publisher, journalist, and columnist on the Delmarva Peninsula since 1972.  He writes from his home on Grace Creek in Bozman.

As the new Trump Administration begins to roll out its approach to border control and immigration policies, one group on the Mid-Shore is watching closely what those new initiatives might mean to the unique communities they serve is the Chesapeake Multicultural Resource Center based in Easton.

For over 12 years, the organization has been helping immigrants and multicultural communities on the Delmarva by providing legal assistance, education programs, job support, health services, language classes, and community integration resources.

Given that background, the Spy asked its director, Matthew Peters, to come by our Zoom studio for a conversation about what this might mean for the Mid-Shore’s increasingly diverse communities and share some of the organization’s highlights in 2024.

This video is approximately ten minutes in length. For more information about ChesMRC please go here .

Maryland’s buoy tender/icebreaker A.V. SANDUSKY helped clear a channel in Grace Creek on Monday this week. DENNIS FORNEY PHOTO

Freezing temperatures, just taking a break now, have been clogging Eastern Shore creeks making it difficult for watermen to get out to public oyster bars.  It’s tough enough for them to make any money during the lean months of January and February without the added complication of ice.

One of Maryland’s fleet of buoy tender/ice breakers, A.V. SANDUSKY, deployed earlier this week out of Annapolis to open a few of the channels leading to the grounds where tongers and dredgers work.

In Grace Creek, where several watermen keep their boats and offload their catchers at PT Hambleton’s oyster and crabbing complex, a few of the watermen eased their vessels gingerly through the ice last week to reach the open waters of Broad Creek. The Sandusky’s arrival on Monday built on those efforts to further solve the problem and allow more watermen to ply their trade.

Gregg Bortz, media relations manager for Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources, provided additional information about the ice-breaking initiative:

“All of our boats have multiple purposes. During the year they are used to place navigation markers and buoys, assist with debris removal in the Bay, and other tasks. For ice breaking, the Sandusky’s primary areas of responsibility include Kent Narrows; Rock Hall; Chester River to Cedar Point; Miles River to St. Michaels; Eastern Bay and Tilghman Creek. But it also is used as needed elsewhere.

“Our boats are shallow draft so they can get into some smaller waterways that Coast Guard vessels can’t reach.

“The Sandusky,” said Bortz,“ is led by Captain Mike Simonsen. Our website has more information about the whole fleet: https://dnr.maryland.gov/boating/Pages/ice_breaking.aspx.”

The website indicates that the M/V A.V. SANDUSKY is an 80-foot vessel with 700 horsepower and icebreaking capability of eight inches. The site also adds that a new replacement vessel for the fleet is in the procurement process. “Areas of responsibility will include Knapps Narrows; Choptank River to Secretary; Broad Creek to Neavitt Wharf; Tred Avon River to USCG Station, Town Creek, Easton Point Landing; Cambridge Creek/Harbor, Little Choptank River, Slaughter Creek, Chapel Cove and Madison Bay.

Dennis Forney has been a publisher, journalist and columnist on the Delmarva Peninsula since 1972.  He writes from his home on Grace Creek in Bozman.

For decades, Rebuilding Together of Queen Anne’s County (RTQAC) and Rebuilding Together Kent County (RTKC) have championed free, critical home repairs for our neighbors who are navigating life with limited financial resources. United by the mission Repairing Homes, Revitalizing Communities, Rebuilding Lives, and effective January 17, 2025, they are now Rebuilding Together Eastern Shore (RTES) and are currently accepting applications for services needed, enthusiastic volunteers, and financial support from both counties. This merger marks an exciting evolution for our area. By combining resources and expertise, RTES will streamline operations, leading to more meaningful improvements in homes and neighborhoods across Kent and Queen Anne’s counties.

Why This Matters

While part of a larger national network of Rebuilding Together affiliates, the heart of Rebuilding Together Eastern Shore’s success lies in local support. Contributions from generous businesses, community members and foundations fuel critical home repair and rehabilitation projects, ensuring families can live in safe, warm and healthy homes. The work of RTES adds value beyond the individuals directly impacted – boosting property values, supporting generational wealth transfer for historically side-lined families, and contributing to a more thriving community for all of us that call this area home.

The decision by the two organizations’ Boards of Directors to merge followed thoughtful discussions and a comprehensive due diligence process. As a united entity, RTES will be equipped to take on larger projects, serve more homeowners, and better incorporate the skills and interests of its dedicated cadre of volunteers.

Genevieve Croker, who has served as the Kent County Rebuilding Together Executive Director, will continue in her role as Executive Director of Rebuilding Together Eastern Shore. Meanwhile, Rebuilding Together of Queen Anne’s Executive Director, Tonya Wright, will continue her commitment to the mission as a Member of the Board of Directors of RTES. Together with other dedicated Directors and a passionate volunteer base, they are prepared to lead RTES into a brighter future.

A Shared Vision for Growth

The newly appointed Board of Directors — led by Co-Presidents, Larisa Thomas and Larry Dinoff, along with a diverse group of local leaders — shared their excitement in a joint statement:
“This merger is not just about combining resources; it’s about strengthening our mission to serve Kent and Queen Anne’s counties. Together, we will create safer, healthier homes for more of our neighbors, safeguarding the residents who are a part of the fabric of our neighborhoods, preserving our affordable housing stock, and building a strong foundation for a thriving future. We are profoundly grateful for the support of our donors and volunteers and look forward to expanding our impact as Rebuilding Together Eastern Shore.”

How You Can Help

As RTES embarks on this transformative journey, community support is more critical than ever. The merger would not have been possible without the generous pro bono legal consultation of Mr. Daniel Ehrenberg at Klein Hornig, LLP. By donating, volunteering, or partnering with RTES, you can help ensure that families in Kent and Queen Anne’s counties have a safe place where they call home.

Whether it’s a financial gift, a corporate sponsorship, or offering your time and expertise, your support makes all the difference. Visit this link to learn more about how you can join the movement to end substandard housing. Together, we can repair homes, transform lives, and strengthen communities across this beautiful region.

Queen Anne’s at Home (QA@H) recently completed the 4^th quarter session of its proprietary Ready or Not workshop. The program is an extremely valuable benefit for members of the nonprofit organization which is a community of seniors in Queen Anne’s County who help each other thrive as they age in their own homes.

QA@H’s Ready or Not program, designed by and for QA@H members, is a planning tool comprised of 4 workshop sessions that build on the group’s quality of life pillars: Connection, Purpose and Empowerment. The scope of the Ready or Not activity is to provide:

• A tool to help members organize and plan for aging in place
• An educational program to provide members with knowledge they’ll need to thrive
• An opportunity to collaborate and develop practical strategies for staying healthy, safe, connected and independent at home

Participating households (e.g., spouses or partners, singles or families) use the Ready or Not workbook as structured “homework” to spark conversations about visions and fears, challenges and opportunities that may impact their ability to age in place. After tackling each section individually, households come together along with the facilitator, a QA@H member who is trained in mediation and problem-solving techniques.

At these joint meetings, participants share stories, learn to access helpful resources, and brainstorm practical solutions to common problems. The facilitator encourages the group to explore and address issues – as well as creative solutions – that participants may not have imagined on their own, all while ensuring that privacy and appropriate boundaries are maintained. Although each household ends up with its own plan, this group effort encourages participants to dig a bit deeper and think more broadly.

Participants in the Ready or Not program consider these questions:

• What is important to us? What might happen to us in the future?
• What are our options (e.g., stay home, move somewhere)?
• What can we do to prepare?
• What resources will we need (e.g., short-term home health, long-term financial management, family support)?

Links to useful resources are included to help participants make informed decisions.

QA@H President Cindy Bach shared survey responses from members who participated in current and past Ready or Not sessions. She said, “The overwhelmingly positive response we received illustrates that there is a definite need to help people plan ahead so they can age in their own homes. That’s what our Ready or Not workshop does. One couple said that the experience was life-changing. Every person who returned a survey indicated that they would highly recommend this workshop to others. That’s a very strong endorsement! We are so pleased to offer this important benefit to all of our members.”

Survey responses included these comments:

• “Ready or Not seriously changed how we look at our future. Turns out proactive preparation takes a whole lot more than just insurance and a financial plan!”
• “What I liked best was the discussion about what we need to plan for – not only at the end but between now and then.”
• “I now feel I have the resilience I’ll need to cope with what may be an uncertain future.”
• “We knew we needed to have these discussions about our future, but it felt overwhelming, and frankly, something we didn’t want to think about. The workshop helped us get on the same page and feeling good about being proactive. We think of this as a gift not only to us but to our families.”

The Ready or Not program is just one of many benefits of membership. For more than 6 years, QA@H has been serving seniors in Queen Anne’s County with more than 100 members and growing. In addition to offering educational seminars on topics such as the very popular brain health workshops, the organization offers a wide variety of social events from coffee meet ups to canasta, Mah Jongg and book club to a walking club and pickleball. This gives members myriad opportunities to make new friends while helping to prevent the isolation that many seniors experience.

For more information about Queen Anne’s at Home and to inquire about membership, visit www.queenannesathome.org or call 410-635-4045.