JAMES MERTZ

Tommy Crowder sorts through oysters on a cold January morning. "For me it's not a job. I hear people complaining all the time saying 'I hate my job'. I don't, I love my job." For Tommy there is no other line of work he'd rather be in, and despite the challenges the industry faces he doesn't plan to walk away anytime soon. 

Shelly Russell tends to spat cages at the Shore Thing Shellfish oyster nursery. Oyster spat are baby oysters, also known as oyster seed, that are in the early stages of development. Spat are typically about the size of a grain of sand and can be difficult to see with the naked eye.

Smith island, located in the Chesapeake Bay, is highly vulnerable to sea-level rise and tidal erosion. As a result, the island has lost significant amounts of land over the years, with some estimates suggesting that it has lost more than 3,000 acres since the 1800s. Sites like this have become more and more common during high-tide hours.

Chip and Mitch Crowder dredge the bottom of the Chesapeake off the coast of Point Lookout, Maryland. Dredging, a highly effected method of oyster harvesting, has been widely regulated by the state to ensure oyster populations remain healthy. 

Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is responsible for managing oyster harvests in the state, and it typically sets harvest limits based on a variety of factors, including the health of the oyster population and the general economic interests of the state. The 2022-23 season permitted only 10 bushels per license to be caught each day in order to help foster oyster populations.

A high-tide begins to fill the streets of Ewell, Smith Island. 

An abandoned Smith Island home. 

Rick Meatyard has owned and operated family run Tall Timbers Marina for over 50 years. A gathering spot for locals to have a cheap beer or "The Best Damn Bloody Mary" Rick has ever made. Alongside his son Spike, Rick and the family now operate the 'TT' Oyster Ranch out of the Herring Creek waters on which the marina sits.

The morning sun rises through the cabin of the "Cameron Blair" fishing vessel. A day typically begins around 4 a.m. for most watermen, making a good sunrise a treasured part of the day.  

Generational watermen like Tommy Crowder have worked regions of the Chesapeake Bay since they were teens. Tommy now runs his boat, the "Cameron Blair" along side his two son's Chip and Mitch Crowder. "I would have loved for them to be doctors and lawyers making $500,000 a year, but if they're not happy, ya know. I want them to do whatever makes them happy."

A Smith Island local remarks on the cargo ship passing behind her. The Chesapeake Bay is an important shipping channel for the mid-Atlantic region, connecting ports in Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania to major markets around the world. Around 44,000 commercial vessels pass through the bays channels each year. 

The only way to Smith Island is by boat, and for many on Marylands western shore of the bay, that ride can last over an hour. Smith and Tangier Island have become popular local tourist destinations, with increasing popularity as they are expected to be uninhabitable by 2050 due to tidal erosion. 

Oyster shells are piled high at the Shore Thing Shellfish nursery. The shells are recycled for baby oysters to attach too and grow from in the aquaculture process, a growing industry in the Chesapeake region. At its height in the late 1800s, it's believed almost 20 million bushels were pulled from the Chesapeake Bay each year. Over-harvesting, disease and habitat loss have reduced the oyster population to less than 1% of historic levels.

Inside the cabin of the "Cameron Blair", Tommy Crowder uses a variety of tools to both navigate, communicate, and monitor the bottom of the bay for oysters to harvest. Tommy recalls fishing with his father as a child, relying on word of mouth to locate oyster beds, "Now everyone has technology and cellphones, the minute you know about something, the whole world knows as well."

Oyster aquaculture has become a popular and growing indusury in the state of Maryland. Operations like Shore Thing Shellfish produce anywhere from 40 to 60 bushels a week.

Smith island, located in the Chesapeake Bay, is highly vulnerable to sea-level rise and tidal erosion. As a result, the island has lost significant amounts of land over the years, with some estimates suggesting that it has lost more than 3,000 acres since the 1800s. Sites like this have become more and more common during high-tide hours.

Chip (left) and Mitch (right) Crowder toss oysters from the dredge table to a basket. They both recall working on the water since they were children along side their father and grandfather. Mitch considered leaving the industry at one point, "I wanted to be a fireman, I went and got all the tests and certifications and everything, but I just couldn't walk away form this." He notes that all the bad weeks and months are worth it for the one good day you wait for on the water. 

A bundle or rope rests along the docks of Tall Timbers Marina, in Marylands lower Potomac region.

Gas prices have become an increasing challenge for watermen to stomach. Very little time is spent idling on the water or at the docks in order to save fuel and keep profit margins as high as possible.

Shelly Russell tends to oyster cages before they are transferred to harvest sites. With over 40 years of commercial fishing and his entire life spent on the water Shelly has a unique knowledge and skill set few possess.

Filled bushel baskets are placed at the stern of the Shore Thing Shellfish skiff. Quarters get tight towards the end of a harvest as baskets begin to stack and a thick layer of muck coats the floor.

Tommy Crowders maneuvers the 'Cameron Blair' from the rear controlls, as they dredge for oysters in the early morning waters. Several boats can be found working the same oyster bed at once, creating a type dance as each vessel runs circles, often passing each other by a matter of feet. 

Brian Russell earned his biology degree from St. Mary's College in 2008 before joining the Department of Natural Resources to practice submerged aquatic vegetation restoration. There he found a passion for oyster farming leading him to leave to start Shore Thing Shellfish along side his father Shelly Russell. Brian expected to find less bureaucracy after leaving DNR but instead has found much more of it being regulated as an aquaculture business.  

Smith island, located in the Chesapeake Bay, is highly vulnerable to sea-level rise and tidal erosion. As a result, the island has lost significant amounts of land over the years, with some estimates suggesting that it has lost more than 3,000 acres since the 1800s. Sites like this have become more and more common during high-tide hours.