the winter watermen are at it again

the winter watermen in maryland are busy in this off-season collecting abandoned "ghost" crab pots from the bottom of the chesapeake bay. last year's program in virginia was a great success.

who is merck sleeping with at the virginia water board?

earlier this year, the virginia state water board voted in favor of allowing merck pharmaceutical company to discharge 29,216 more pounds of nitrogen and 3,288 more pounds of phosphorus each year into the South Fork of the Shenandoah River than allowed by law. the shenandoah-potomac river basin is already the source of 25% of the chesapeake bay's nitrogen pollution, amounting to more than 300,00 pounds more than scientists say it can handle. i thought we were going to try to clean up the bay? i guess the watermen and the businesses along the bay that contribute billions of dollars so vital to virginia's economy and prestige are more responsible for its upkeep than a large company up-river. or maybe they prefer litigation to doing the right thing.

the yorktown watermen's museum heritage festival

check out the annual festival honoring watermen of the chesapeake bay and the sea services, july 12th in yorktown, virginia. photo from wpnsta yorktown's photostream on flickr.

papa joe

the wife is determined to get herself a deadrise. i dont want no wooden boat...this one is a beauty, though!

ghost crab pots

this year the state of virginia started a program to remove abandoned crab pots and other debris from the chesapeake bay. 58 watermen participated in the program which covered over 1500 square miles and recovered 8600 pots, along with 61 nets and a baby stroller. this is a fantastic program coordinated by the virginia institute of marine science (VIMS)! not only did it replace income for the watermen lost due to the elimination of the winter dredge, it will help revive the health of the ailing bay: almost 5000 animals were killed while trapped in these derelict pots. This is the only large-scale program of its kind in the country that seeks out and removes unmarked, submerged, derelict crab pots using side-imaging equipment. very cool. support vims, please.