Local watermen hope to ride out oystering ban

With the sun shining and temperature approaching 60 degrees, Thursday was a winter day that most watermen salivate for.

Yet the mood at Deep Creek Landing Marina, where 30 or so boats are docked, was not jovial. Curse words and groans filled the air as watermen grappled with the second day of an oystering ban on the James River.

"It's put us in a hell of a spot," said Lee Parker, who spent the day making repairs to the three deadrises he docks at Deep Creek.

The ban, which includes a portion of the Rappahannock River, has affected about 70 watermen. Some are moving to oyster grounds in Gloucester or Reedville, while others search for temporary jobs on land.

The ban also has brought to a standstill local seafood distributors, some of which have idled oyster packers.

Joe Melzer III, a manager at Pagan River Dockside Seafood in Battery Park, spent part of Thursday ordering oysters from North Carolina. The oysters, he said, would replace the few dozen bushels he has been buying from five boats working the James.

Announced Wednesday, the ban comes after a combination of snow and rain swept down from the mountains west of Richmond and Fredericksburg, said Robert Croonenberghs, director of the state Health Department's shellfish sanitation division. The deluge carried animal waste and sewage into the rivers. Oysters, which filter the water, are inundated with bacteria that cause gastrointestinal illnesses in humans, Croonenberghs said.

The timing couldn't have been worse, Melzer said. Dockside has been struggling all winter because restaurants are buying fewer oysters, the result of fewer people eating out, he said.

"This puts everybody out of work. This time of year, all we do is oyster," Melzer said.

It's the same situation on the Rappahannock, where about 15 boats were working a week ago, said Tammy Croxon,of Kilmarnock. Many watermen, such as Croxon and her husband, Mike, are staying off the water.

"Luckily for us, my husband and I know how to paint. We're doing a few painting jobs," she said.

State officials are testing water samples collected this week from both rivers, Croonenberghs said. They will do the same next week.

For now, the ban is scheduled to last until March 26.

"It's possible we'll open the rivers before then, but it could be longer," Croonenberghs said, noting that tides from the Chesapeake Bay prevent the effluent from running directly into the ocean.

Predicted snowstorms this weekend could prompt more flooding and make the rivers' problems worse, he said.

Watermen, such as Croxon, have been calling on the Virginia Marine Resource Commission to open more oyster grounds. Those cries have intensified with the ban.

The commission on Tuesday agreed to hold a public hearing in February to open the Temples Bay section of the Rappahannock. The earliest that would occur would be in March.

That's little comfort to Parker. He owes dock fees and needs to shell out $190 to renew his waterman's card. Without work on the James, he might move his boat up to the York River, which is open to oystering until Feb. 28.

"You make money to pay those damn bills," Parker said.

What happened? The state Health Department on Wednesday closed shellfish harvesting on portions of the James and Rappahannock rivers. The ban has affected about 70 watermen and a handful of oyster packers.