Any person wishing to obtain an oyster licence from the Potomac River Fisheries Commission must first pay a surfee for oyster licences, as determined from time to time by order of the Commission, which shall not exceed $350.00 per person per year. These oyster licence fees must be paid in full in addition to the published oyster licence fees and prior to the issuance of a commercial oyster licence. There is only one supplement per person per season. Currently, MNR`s oyster management tools primarily include changes to bushel boundaries, working days or season length. Earlier this month, MNR proposed increasing the oyster harvest to five days a week after the ministry cancelled the harvest Wednesday in 2019 in response to a declining oyster population. At that time, MNR also closed oyster harvesting in areas north of the Bay Bridge. Reg. II, § 2(i) Return of all oysters or reservation of cash deposits. Any person accused of violating any provision of this Order shall be bound by the officer making such charges to sprinkle the entire shipment of oysters on public rocks under the supervision of an officer or inspector of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources or the Virginia Marine Resources Commission and at the expense of the person charged with the violation. Provided that the person charged with the offence may, instead of issuing the summons, immediately deposit with the summons officer a security for money, approximately equal to the value of the entire summons as determined by the official who issued the summons, and that he must immediately cancel or expunge it, as the case may be, the entire load of oysters. Refusing to throw oysters overboard or deposit a cash loan is a separate offence from any other offence. A person who has deposited a cash deposit and is acquitted will receive this deposit in cash; if this cash deposit is convicted, it will be forfeited and deposited in the account of the Potomac River Fisheries Commission.

„I think everyone was hoping for a little more consensus,” said Sarah Elfreth, Sr. Sarah Elfreth, of Anne Arundel County, one of the lead sponsors of the Oyster Management Act and a member of the DNR Advisory Board. „The results of this year`s inventory assessment are encouraging, but by no means a right to dismiss caution. The oyster population still suffers from chronic overfishing in some of the bay`s last productive oyster harvesting areas. Still, Allison Colden, a fisheries scientist at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, said computer modeling identifies at least a few „win-win” scenarios that she believes could form the basis for a settlement. But, she said, „we got a result where we really didn`t reach consensus on anything in terms of progress on oysters.” II, § 2 (d) Seafood in polluted areas. It is illegal for anyone to capture or trap shellfish in an area closed by the Maryland Department of the Environment or any other duly authorized government agency, except that oysters and other seafood may be transplanted from such areas polluted by the Potomac River Fisheries Commission during the closed season. (2) Be accompanied by a contract of sale or bill of lading issued by the private producers selling the consignment or an equivalent certificate issued by the authorities of the State of origin attesting that the cargo was caught by private oyster beds in the State of origin and that the oysters were caught in full compliance with the legislation of that State. Regulation I, § 2(f)(1) Tonging. Any natural person working on a boat used to catch or catch oysters with hand tongs or power hand tongs will have to pay a licence fee of $95.00.

No oysters equipped with patented tongs, electric dredging and/or sail dredging may be carried. No oyster may be caught or caught, except during the calving season, which is determined from time to time by regulation of the Commission. Before catching or taking oysters using hand tongs or electric power tongs, each operator of boats or boats used for oyster tongs must be given a set of oyster tongs (EOs) securely attached to both sides of that vessel or vessel. Tags shall be placed on or above the hull forward, but not on or near the bow, so as to be clearly visible to passing vessels. It is illegal to tighten the tongs of boats or ships that do not have these tags. Tags are issued to the master or operator of the vessel for a fee of $15.00 per set. The BCF also opposes the opening of harvesting areas north of the Bay Bridge where oyster populations are constantly struggling due to increased precipitation leading to lower salinity conditions. (a) Hand Tweezers – Any tong, tong, tongs or similar device used to capture oysters consisting of two stems or handles attached to opposing and complementary tongs, baskets or containers operated entirely by hand from the surface of the water and the device of which has no external or internal power source. Hand clips, hand-assisted hand clips, hand scrapers, excavators, diving equipment or patented pliers must not be on board an Oyster Buy boat at any time. Oyster Buy Boats is not allowed to fish for oysters. Oyster Buy Boats must display or have on board trailers, permits or markings required by CFRP. 3.

Any area that cannot be harvested with 18-foot manual stem claws at the Heron Island Natural Oyster Bar. Heron Island is the area south of the CFRP/DNR Responsibility Line, east of Dukeharts Channel, west of the Breton Bay Channel, and north of the Potomac River Main Channel. A length of 18 feet or less may be used or possessed aboard a boat or vessel involved in oysters. The length of a hand clip should be measured along the stem from the end to the end of the tooth. THE POTOMAC RIVER FISHERY COMMISSION, Having considered the protection, promotion, growth and conservation of oyster resources and having considered it desirable to extend the oyster seed plantation for the Oyster Management Reserve Program to Cobb Island Bar, designated as an oyster management reserve area and subject to its authority under Regulations I, Section 8(a), Article VIII, Section 6(a) and 6(b): HEREBY DECLARES AND DIRECTS: that Cobb Island Bar (360 acres) is closed for oyster harvesting so that any person may take, catch or attempt to catch or attempt to catch oysters at any time. Regulation I, § 2 (f) (3) Ship`s licence – SH. For each boat or craft used to catch or catch oysters with a hand scraper, a licence fee of $190.00. If the manual scraper is on board the vessel, the manual scraper must be on board the vessel or vessel and be visible to any authorized law enforcement officer of the State of Maryland or Virginia or to a representative of the Potomac River Fisheries Commission. A vessel shall not issue more than one hand-scraping licence and there shall not be more than one hand scraper on board such a vessel. Each vessel so authorized must be equipped with a set of „hand scraping” (HS) labels which must be securely affixed to both sides of the vessel described in the licence. Trailers shall be mounted on or above the hull forward, but not on or near the bow and in such a way as to be clearly visible to passing vessels. It is illegal to scratch by hand on a ship that does not display these tags.

2. Bluff Point Lumps Natural Oyster Bank (310 acres), an area north and east of the vessel`s main channel, west of 76° 56 800` west latitude and south of 38° 17 600` north latitude; Wilberg agreed that there are signs that the oyster population could recover abruptly after decades of ups and downs. But oyster reproduction is uneven across the Maryland Bay part, he noted, and the ability to rebuild the stock is limited by the loss of many reefs that fed the population. All oysters measured in the shell as prescribed in this document shall only be measured at the top of the tank or basket. Oyster and oyster sanctuaries in closed areas For anyone who wants to buy oysters harvested from the Potomac River on the Potomac River, they must first purchase an Oyster Buy boat license for a fee of $250.00, which can be used on a vessel at least 40 feet in length. No more than one Oyster boat purchase permit may be issued for use on a single boat. To be eligible for an Oyster Buy Boat CFRP licence, the applicant must be a certified dealer or work for a certified dealer on the Interstate Certified Shellfish Shipper List (ICSSL). Eir. II, § 2(b) Seasonal dates, days and times for the capture or landing of oysters. The Board may, from time to time and by regulation, determine the dates, dates and times of the oyster season during which oysters may be caught or caught and the manner in which oysters are caught or caught. It is illegal to take oysters that violate these regulations.

It is illegal for anyone to catch or catch oysters on Saturday or Sunday. It is illegal to land or unload oysters before sunrise or after sunset or to unload oysters before sunrise or after sunset. Oyster shell is an important and limited resource. So if you enjoyed your oysters, consider donating the remaining shells to the Oyster Recovery Partnership. The shells will be used to create more oysters for a variety of projects around the Chesapeake Bay. The Oyster Recovery Partnership has public drop-off locations in Maryland where your shells can be donated. I, § 2 (g) (1) Registration fee for oyster buyers Anyone wishing to purchase oysters from the Potomac River for resale must first register as an oyster purchaser with the Potomac River Fisheries Commission and pay a registration fee of $50.00 per fiscal year (July 1 to June 30). a) Protect harvested oysters from direct sunlight by providing shade in the area where harvested oysters are stored. II, § 4(b) Removal or capture of oysters in closed areas.