Evening star., 1947-02-20
Leasing Oyster
Beds 10 Private
Industry Urged
Maryland Fisheries
Unit Gives Plan to
Legislative Committe.

BY jones BIFchfieId
Star Staff Correspondent


star stoff Correspondent
ANNAPOLIS, Md, Feb. 20.-The
Chesapeake Bay and Tributaries
Committees of the Senate and
House had for study today pro-
posal by the Tidewater Fisheries
Commission for leasing bay oyster
beds to private enterprise as a
means of saving the industry from
extinction.
The lease plan was one of two
proposals to reclaim the Maryland
oyster business explained to the
joint committees yesterday by Ed
win Warf1eld, jr., commission chair
man, during a cruise down the bay
on the yacht Potomac.
Under the second plan, the State
would attempt a conservative pro-
gram of oyster replanting covering
a 25-year span and costing approx
mately $7000,000. i.
Would Continue Planting.
A third plan would be for the
commission to continue planting a
few beds each year, as it now does,
In a feeble" attempt to prevent
extinction of Maryland's oyster re-
sources.
The lease plan Immediately drew
opposition from committee members,
who said the arrangement would
place the bay in the hands of "big
business" and would eventually
ruin" the tongers who work the
bay tributaries.
Mr.. Warfeld, who said he had
come to the committees for counsel
on ways to prevent the loss of one
of the States most vital assets, said
his group had given careful study
to the plan and believed legislation
could be worked out to protect in
dividual oyster dredgers and pre-
vent "big business" from taking
over the bay"
Suggests Co-operatives.
Mr.. Warfield said he believed CO.
operatives, similar to farmer groups,
might be formed to help finance
individual replanting of the oyster
beds. He said he saw little differ
ence in farming under water and
on dry land.
Delegate Wells w. Todd of Girls
field said the plan would play into
the hands of the large seafood in
terests, would destroy the indie
pendence of the individual dredgers
and would destroy the markets for
the tongers. He said he felt it
would be better to continue under
the present free fishing plan.
Back at Annapolis, Senator Louis
L. Goldstein of Calvert, chairman
of the Senate committee, said he
strongly opposed the plan to lease
the bay oyster rocks, and called
on the fisheries commission, to re-
sign. Senator Goldstein did not
accompany committee members on
the bay cruise.
Asserting that the commission
has admitted it has been a fail
ure," Senator Goldstein said that
"over a period of eight years they
have spent approximately 100000
without witt {, results so they ought to
Seeks to Abolish Commission.
He said a bill was being pre-
pared to abolish the commission
and set up Chesapeake Bay Au-
thority.
"The bill when introduced will
have the names of IA Senators on
it," he said, adding that "other
Senators will go along with us to
pass the bill"
He said the others who would
sponsor the measure were Senators
Phoebus of Somerset, McAllister of
DORCHESTER, Travers of Wicomico,
Balch of Talbot, Beck of Caroline,
Shallcross of Kent, George of Queen
Annes, Guy johnson of Cecil, Mon
roe of Charles, Bailey of st. Marys,
Bolton of Baltimore County, Barton
of Baltimore, Davis of Montgomery,
and himself.
Mr. Goldstein said that about
125,000 persons in the Tidewater
counties were affected by the oyster
industry, and that many would be
put out of work if the leases were
granted to the commercial groups.
The Chesapeake Bay Seafood As
sociation recommended the lease
plan several weeks ago, but the
department admitted in its report
that such program will be op-
ened by certain tidewater groups" "
Explaining the necessity for an
immediate plan for oyster conser-
vation, Mr.. Warfield said the in
dustry has dropped in the last so
years from a peak production of
from 100000 to 100000 bushels
a year to an estimated catch this
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