Aquaculture

Instead of trying to cultivate seafood indoors, University of Maryland scientists should work to teach people that sea animals are fascinating beings who feel pain just as much as cows, pigs, chickens, and other animals do ("Fish farming research at UM about to get real-world tryout," July 20). Fish farms are notoriously inhumane, and they pollute the environment with fish feces, antibiotic-laden fish feed, and fish carcasses. Fish on fish farms must be fed about five pounds of wild-caught fish to produce one pound of farmed-fish flesh.

Maryland's fledgling oyster aquaculture industry gets a little national exposure this week, as the Cooking Channel pays a call on the Choptank Oyster Co. near Cambridge. In this week's episode of " Pitchin' In " a new series that appears to be the Cooking Channel's version of "Dirty Jobs ," Chef Lynn Crawford learns the hard way that "farming oysters is a filthy, dirty job," according to the online show blurb . The Choptank Oyster Co ., also known as Marinetics Inc., is arguably one of the most established of the state's oyster farms.  It's been raising millions of oysters in floats since 1996.  Its "Choptank Sweets" and "Choptank Salts" are sold and served on both sides of the Chesapeake Bay. The episode airs at 2:30 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. EST Thursday, Dec. 8, then again at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 10.

An Eastern Shore judge has rejected a property owner's claim that the state should not have leased land on the bottom of Chincoteague Bay to a fledgling aquaculture business that has been raising clams in the bed. David and Jena Harvey, Pennsylvania residents who own property in Girdletree, had argued that the Maryland Department of Natural Resources had no right to let Steve and Christy Gordon use the public bottom to grow clams. Worcester County Circuit Judge Theodore R. Eschenburg Sr. threw out the claim, though he agreed with the Harveys' contention that the state surveyed the property incorrectly and that the Gordons would have to give up the bed - at least until DNR can resurvey it. DNR officials said they believe Gordon can keep the clams on the bed for 90 days while a survey is done.

Long-awaited "streamlining" of the tangled state and federal red tape Maryland watermen must navigate for permission to establish oyster farming operations finally took effect Monday. Now, instead of seeking approvals from three separate state agencies and then the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, watermen can file a single, joint state-federal application with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. While the Corps still must issue a separate approval, it has agreed to a simplified "Regional General Permit" that federal officials say should shorten the process.

WITH human population growth showing no signs of slowing, many people -- ordinary citizens as well as decision makers -- have begun to wonder how we shall feed the future.One response that always seems to generate enthusiasm is fish farming, or aquaculture.On the surface, it is easy to see why this age-old industry might offer practical cures to current dilemmas. With world fisheries exploited at unsustainable levels, and world protein demand on the rise, aquaculture holds the promise of feeding vast numbers of people with relatively small inputs of energy and capital.

— The dock built to hold water-filled tanks of baby oysters stands empty. The new marina for landing fully grown bivalves is being used for now by some crabbers. Encouraged by a new state policy to boost private oyster farming, Jay Robinson and Ryan Bergey applied last fall to lease upward of 1,000 acres in Fishing Bay in southern Dorchester County. They planned to "plant" 100 million hatchery-spawned oysters on the bottom there this year and raise them for sale to restaurants and seafood wholesalers.

ELKTON - A Cecil County family whose venture into fish farming failed when thousands of the fish died has filed a lawsuit charging its lender and the former chairman of the state's Aquaculture Advisory Committee with fraud. Scott and Donna McCardell, whose dispute with state aquaculture officials was described last year in The Sun, claim in their lawsuit that Aberdeen fish farmer Douglas C. Burdette Jr., the former chairman of the state's aquaculture advisory panel, sold them a defective system of tanks and filters.

In Thursday's Evening Sun, it was reported that a contractor received all of the $3 million the state spends on its oyster promulgation program. Actually, the contractor gets only part of the money.Dawn breaks over the inky surface of the Chester River as George O'Donnell readies his oyster boat for the day's harvest.He positions his vessel alongside about 20 others that bob above an oyster bar. As the sun climbs over the horizon, the watermen go to work.Some lower long tongs into the shallows and scoop the oysters from the bottom.

Scott and Donna McCardell saw a chance to get in on an industry of the future.In rural Cecil County, where farming often means cattle or corn, the husband-and-wife team set out to raise fish. And when they joined forces with a longtime leader in the business -- the chairman of the state's advisory panel on aquaculture, no less -- they confidently bet virtually everything they owned on the venture."It wasn't going to make us rich," said Donna McCardell, "but it was going to be a nice, comfortable living."

To praise from environmentalists and complaints from watermen, Gov. Martin O'Malley outlined plans Thursday to restore the Chesapeake Bay's depleted oysters by prohibiting commercial harvests in large portions of the bay while leasing other areas for aquaculture. Declaring that Maryland's long-standing approach to managing the bay's oysters no longer makes sense, O'Malley called for a major expansion of the current patchwork of sanctuaries, where oysters may not be removed. And he offered to help watermen move into aquaculture.

In his recent article about oyster farming ("State's oyster farmers snagged on red tape," June 20), Tim Wheeler left out several important facts regarding the issuance of aquaculture leases. Had they been included, perhaps the headline of the article might have been, "Despite necessary start-up and transition delays, oyster farming off to a good start. " Lease issuance is a two-part process between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the state of Maryland. While the state may be able to promptly approve an application, few applicants have the time or money to generate multiple maps and perform complex geographical reviews as required by the Corps.

— The dock built to hold water-filled tanks of baby oysters stands empty. The new marina for landing fully grown bivalves is being used for now by some crabbers. Encouraged by a new state policy to boost private oyster farming, Jay Robinson and Ryan Bergey applied last fall to lease upward of 1,000 acres in Fishing Bay in southern Dorchester County. They planned to "plant" 100 million hatchery-spawned oysters on the bottom there this year and raise them for sale to restaurants and seafood wholesalers.

For nearly a century, oysters have been pummeled from two sides: us and nature. Our appetite for oysters has spurred overharvesting; at the same time, pollution has made oysters more vulnerable to disease, and sediment has smothered oyster beds. Conservationists, lawmakers and natural resource experts have been scratching their heads for nearly as long, trying to figure out how to save Crassostrea virginica populations. Now, solutions that give us hope are coming from us — and nature.

Instead of trying to cultivate seafood indoors, University of Maryland scientists should work to teach people that sea animals are fascinating beings who feel pain just as much as cows, pigs, chickens, and other animals do ("Fish farming research at UM about to get real-world tryout," July 20). Fish farms are notoriously inhumane, and they pollute the environment with fish feces, antibiotic-laden fish feed, and fish carcasses. Fish on fish farms must be fed about five pounds of wild-caught fish to produce one pound of farmed-fish flesh.

A technique developed by University of Maryland scientists for cultivating seafood indoors is slated to get its first real-world tryout under a licensing agreement with a newly formed Baltimore company. The technique, in which fish destined for the dinner table are bred in captivity and raised in large tanks of artificial sea water, has been licensed to a biotechnology startup called Maryland Sustainable Mariculture, University System of Maryland officials say. It's a watershed for Yonathan Zohar and his team of scientists and technicians, who've been working for years to perfect their "recirculating marine aquaculture system" in the Columbus Center at the Inner Harbor.

The third paragraph in most newspaper stories about efforts to restore the Chesapeake Bay by restricting some human activity — the harvesting of crabs, the spreading of chicken manure on farmland, the development of more suburban housing — contains the predictable "warning" about the consequences of the action. The most recent example of this could be seen on the front page of The Baltimore Sun on Saturday: "The head of the Maryland Oystermen Association warned that the state's move threatens the livelihood of the few hundred watermen still actively harvesting oysters because it would bar them from working many of the most productive shellfish bars or reefs left in the bay."

Brandon Dawson's science project slipped through his fingers and swam away in the cool, clean waters of Morgan Run.Aquaculture is catching on fast in Maryland schools. At least 26 high schools in the state teach the raising of fish as a form of farming.But more teachers are learning to use fish as a medium for science classes -- from elementary to college-preparatory research courses such as the one Brandon, 17, took at South Carroll High School."With aquaculture, you can do all aspects of science," said Robert Foor-Hogue, the science teacher at South Carroll who has pioneered using fish in class.

The Oyster Restoration and Aquaculture Development Plan proposed by the state Department of Natural Resources sets a new direction for managing Maryland's natural oyster populations and enhancing opportunities for farming oysters. Thus, it brings the state's oyster management efforts more in line with virtually all other regions in the world. The plan is based on the recommendations of an advisory committee of scientists, watermen, legislators, economists, environmentalists and seafood industry representatives.