THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, October 21, 1996 TAG: 9610180019
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A6 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: 33 lines
This letter is in response to the VMRC's recent decision to open certain areas in the middle Bay to oyster harvesting. I was dismayed because it appears that few will benefit from a potentially small harvest in an area that already has few oysters.
I can remember the clarity of the water on Long Creek off of the Lynnhaven River during the late 1960s and early 1970s. While standing on the shore in a marshy area, one could see the crabs scooting along the bottom, which was covered with oysters and clams. You could see clearly out beyond 8 feet and, even in water a few feet deep, the water clarity was surprising despite the muddy banks.
Oysters are a vital part of the Bay ecosystem. They improve water clarity as they filter large quantities through their complicated food filtering mechanisms.
Since the Bay is a public fishing ground, the oyster reefs belong to all of us. There are those who now ``farm'' their own oysters. When the public oyster grounds are gone, these oysters will be the only ones left in the Bay. We cannot allow human forces to overharvest what nature produces in its own good time. We must allow nature to recover its losses in its own time. This is a process that can take years, but it is worth the wait.
If the existing reefs are destroyed, where will the new oyster reefs come from? Who will take the responsibility for restructuring and rebuilding new oyster reefs when these few we still have are gone?
MICHAEL BOGGS
Portsmouth, Oct. 8, 1996 by CNB