When you first pull an oyster out of the Chesapeake Bay it looks like nothing at all, but as you turn it over in your hand, the dusty green slime falls away and you are left with a misty grey shell. It is rough to the touch, with ripply layers that reflect the water it came from, and it sits in your hand in such a way that makes it feel ancient. If you were to stick a shucking knife in that oyster and pry it open, you would find a thick salty slime surrounding a tan leathery lump. The contents of an oyster are of little significance to many, but the history of the Chesapeake Bay is written in that oyster. From the founding of the first colonies along the bay to the present day oysters, have been a part of life for the people of the
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We all know the story of the first english colonies in the new world. A story of people coming to a nearly alien place, and survived brutal winters to become the forefathers of a nation. We often wonder how these people survived, and the answer is in part, small, cold, slimy, and salty, they survived because of oysters. Oysters have no season, they require no maintenance, and do not migrate away in the winter, so they are the perfect food for a colony on the edge of destruction. At Jamestown colony the people survived for several weeks on nothing but oysters and a few cups of indian corn. Taking advantage of this low lying fruit was easy, all a hungry colonist need was a boat and a pair tongs to pull the food they need to survive out of the water. The native americans understood the value of oysters. Not only where they an important part of their diet, the tribes surrounding the Chesapeake Bay went so far as to refer to the body of water as “Chesepioc,” or great shellfish …show more content…
As Maryland and Virginia oystermen were pulling millions of bushels from the bay, the oyster banks of New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts were being depleted. Hungry eyes turned south for new fishing opportunities, and boats from New England began dragging the Chesapeake Bay. The result was a series of classes begin in the early eighteen sixties and not ending until the turn of the century, which we now refer to as the oyster war. The conflict was not limited to native Chesapeake Bay fisherman and New Englanders, clashes took place depending on how you were fishing. Dockside brawls erupted when dredgers infringed on the shallower waters typically fished by tongers. Oystermen from Maryland and Virginia clashed using rifles and even cannon mounted to their boats, exact numbers are hard to come by, but numerous lives were lost in the battles of the oyster wars. Fighting may seem extreme, but in the 1860 a time when the average marylander was making just $500 a year, the captain of an oyster dredger could make $2000 dollars a year. In response to the rampant oyster theft the State of Maryland created an oyster navy in 1868 to curtail the violence and chase out the oyster pirates. The Oyster Navy would evolve into the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and in 1878 the first survey of Chesapeake Bay oyster populations was conducted by the oyster navy to help with their enforcement. The oyster wars
We all know the story of the first english colonies in the new world. A story of people coming to a nearly alien place, and survived brutal winters to become the forefathers of a nation. We often wonder how these people survived, and the answer is in part, small, cold, slimy, and salty, they survived because of oysters. Oysters have no season, they require no maintenance, and do not migrate away in the winter, so they are the perfect food for a colony on the edge of destruction. At Jamestown colony the people survived for several weeks on nothing but oysters and a few cups of indian corn. Taking advantage of this low lying fruit was easy, all a hungry colonist need was a boat and a pair tongs to pull the food they need to survive out of the water. The native americans understood the value of oysters. Not only where they an important part of their diet, the tribes surrounding the Chesapeake Bay went so far as to refer to the body of water as “Chesepioc,” or great shellfish …show more content…
As Maryland and Virginia oystermen were pulling millions of bushels from the bay, the oyster banks of New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts were being depleted. Hungry eyes turned south for new fishing opportunities, and boats from New England began dragging the Chesapeake Bay. The result was a series of classes begin in the early eighteen sixties and not ending until the turn of the century, which we now refer to as the oyster war. The conflict was not limited to native Chesapeake Bay fisherman and New Englanders, clashes took place depending on how you were fishing. Dockside brawls erupted when dredgers infringed on the shallower waters typically fished by tongers. Oystermen from Maryland and Virginia clashed using rifles and even cannon mounted to their boats, exact numbers are hard to come by, but numerous lives were lost in the battles of the oyster wars. Fighting may seem extreme, but in the 1860 a time when the average marylander was making just $500 a year, the captain of an oyster dredger could make $2000 dollars a year. In response to the rampant oyster theft the State of Maryland created an oyster navy in 1868 to curtail the violence and chase out the oyster pirates. The Oyster Navy would evolve into the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and in 1878 the first survey of Chesapeake Bay oyster populations was conducted by the oyster navy to help with their enforcement. The oyster wars