To: The Star Democrat From: Hunter H. Harris Easton, Md.
I was surprised to see Sen. Richard Colburn, Del. Addie Eckardt and Del. Jeannie Haddaway all seemingly enjoying their outing on the River with Mr. Schuyler. I hope it was an effort on their part to become more aware of the details of this misunderstood practice of ‘hydraulic clamming’. As Mr. Schuyler’s hydraulic clam rail travels along the bottom of the river it picks up everything in its path including what little grass might be struggling to survive and maybe a few clams here and there. In the process, a significant amount of suspended sediment is introduced to the river which does a great job of shading the remaining grasses (that he missed) from required sunlight needed to survive. What our politicians experienced that Friday and what everyone else can see as they look out across the rivers and notice these hard working clammers harvesting $35 bushel bait clams is something that desperately needs to be reevaluated. Here are a couple of aerial images that will show you the trail of destruction left behind as these clam rigs are in operation. Take a look for yourself then tell me this is a healthy practice for our rivers and the Bay. To see additional images (in color) showing what I call ‘muddy clammers’ please visit my website www.flyaloft.com then click on the tab ‘muddy clammers’. Mr. Schuyler, I am sorry to interfere with your livelihood, but what you (and other clammers) are doing is simply against what so many others are trying to prevent as we make efforts to clean up the Bay and its tributaries. For example, there are very strict laws in place that require builders to erect silt fences around disturbed ground, farmers are required to plant buffer strips around fields, developments are required to build expensive silt ponds….the list goes on. I can’t understand why your industry (NOT watermen in general Only the clammers) are allowed to continue to create the mess I see in these images. I hope to see that Sen. Richard Colburn, Del. Addie Eckardt and Del. Jeannie Haddaway will use their recent experience on the River and my aerial images to change what is obviously a destructive practice. 6th generation Eastern Shore (Bay front) farm boy who grew up on the Bay and used to cuss the seaweed wrapped around my (boat) propeller. I wish I still had this problem. |
In the many years of Hunter's flights over the Chesapeake, he has documented many different changes on the shores and the bay. It really is fascinating to see. For larger versions of the images below, simply click on the image and a larger one will pop up. If you are searching for a particular type of photo, or in a particular area, please contact us!
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