A proposed ban could put an end to commercial fishing, aquaculture and horseshoe crab harvesting within the bounds of the Assateague Island National Seashore, a national park located on Assateague Island off the eastern shores of the U.S. state of Maryland.
The Chincoteague Town Council was presented with a pre-briefing by Assateague Island Seashore park representatives on 17 September. In the briefing, park superintendent Debbie Darden laid out what could generally happen over the next 25-30 years regarding the park, noting that unless legislatively authorized, people should not be engaging in aquaculture or horseshoe harvesting practices within park parameters.
According to Darden, approximately 1,260 acres of aquaculture activity currently exists within the park boundary. In light of this, Darden and Assateague Island Seashore officials expressed a willingness to work with fishers and state representatives from Virginia and Maryland to slowly weed out such practices.
"We don't want anybody who's currently making their living doing those things to be hurt in anyway, which is why we're proposing it would happen over a very long period of time," said Darden, as reported by WMDT.com.
“There is this regulation that says unless Congress says it’s specifically allowed, it’s not allowed. ... For 50 years, we have not enforced this,” Darden added, speaking to USA Today. “Our Washington folks are telling us that these are activities we should look at winding down.”
Council members in Chincoteague were not too keen on the idea of the federal government putting a stop to fishing and aquaculture practices that have been allowed for 50 years: “The people in Washington are eating Chincoteague oysters and clams,” said Councilman John Jester, per USA Today. “The leases have been handed down for generations. ... It goes all the way back to the Baylor Grounds. ... The initial legislation for the seashore recognized the business.”
A letter has been sent by the town to Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe as well as other representatives in protest of the park’s plan.
A complete draft of the park plan is expected by mid-October, and open houses will be open to discuss the plan during the third week of November.
