U.S. Representative Andy Harris (R-Maryland) has asked NOAA Fisheries to declare a fishery disaster for the state’s commercial oyster fishery, which has been hard hit by cold weather and ice.
“Severe weather this year, combined with shrinking market access and increased competition, left many crews effectively tied to the dock, with watermen able to fish for just one or two days all season,” Harris said in a statement. “These pressures threaten both livelihoods and a major sector of the Eastern Shore economy. For that reason, I am urging NOAA to approve a federal disaster declaration because immediate disaster relief is necessary to help watermen recover from the financial losses caused by this season.”
With large swaths of the Chesapeake Bay watershed frozen over, the state’s oystermen have been unable to get out on the water or access the oysters living below the surface. The 2026 season runs from 1 October 2025 through 31 March 2026.
"Us watermen can't get out and go to work, and we've got bills to pay," commercial oysterman John Clopine told CBS News. "The ice would sink the boat basically.”
Harris’ letter to NOAA comes shortly after a group of state lawmakers representing the Eastern Shore wrote a letter to Maryland Governor Wes Moore seeking disaster relief from the state government for the commercial oyster sector.
"We have no doubt that Maryland can demonstrate there has been a loss of income that surpasses any requirement for disaster relief funding," the legislators wrote, according to The Star Democrat. "This is an urgent request, as most in our public fisheries are facing economic crisis as the Maryland oyster market continues to stay closed for our watermen."
According to WMDT, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources responded to the request, noting that the oyster population was healthy despite the access issues.
“While market conditions are not resulting in high oyster sales at the moment, we know that oysters are currently faring well in Maryland’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries,” the department said. “We recently found that oyster populations had reached their highest levels in Maryland waters after the population more than tripled in the past 20 years. We want to encourage residents and visitors to buy local oysters to support this industry that’s important to many Maryland communities.”
