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By daybreak
Published: January 29, 2008
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Ocean City, Maryland is home to a small general category scallop boat fleet. For 2007, most of the general category boats in the area have chosen to work the narrow strip of bottom that lies just inshore of the Elephant Trunk access area (ETAA) while awaiting access back into the productive scalloping grounds which have remained mostly closed to scallop harvests. To the south the Delmarva access area is also closed, having no scallop habitat west of the closed area. The Elephant Trunk access area has been under a closure since July of 2004 to allow scallops to recover and grow to market size. The area was estimated to hold over 100 million pounds of scallop meats prior to the 2007 re-opening.

Captain Steve Karafa runs the 54 foot Retriever out of West Ocean City's commercial boat harbor. The boat is powered by a traditional 8-71 diesel engine and makes about 8 knots. The 6400 gross ton steel Retriever burns around 10 gallons per hour and the vessel uses 300 or more gallons on a typical trip. The closest available fishing area is a little over 30 nautical miles from port. Winter conditions make scalloping tough and with fishing pressure heavy in the only open areas, a 400 lb trip is not at all a sure thing. Some trips get cut short by weather and boats return with catches well below their target.

Further up the harbor sits the Keller's Pride and Night Stalker, boats operated by Captain John Keller. The 90' x 24' Keller's Pride is powered by a single 700 HP diesel and burns around 300 gallons per trip while the 80" x 21" Night Stalker's 400 HP diesel might burn around 250 gallons on a good trip. Larger scallop boats such as Keller's are able to fish on in bad weather but the pace slows and single trips in these conditions can last up to 40 hours before the 400 pound mark is attained. Captain Keller explained that slugging it out in bad weather really doesn't accomplish much with current fuel cost and scallop prices, since the added burn time eats up much of the profit.

Prior to the opening March 2007 of the ETAA, local ex-vessel prices for scallops were about $8. Shortly after boats were allowed into the Elephant Trunk, prices fell to $5.75. Late 2007 prices have returned to around $6.50-$7.50 and have held into 2008.

Each boat has a unique style of fishing depending on size, fuel consumption and availability of productive areas to fish for scallops. While winter conditions might only allow for 2 trips per week, other seasons have better weather and boats can fish more efficiently. Boats might look to make 80-100 trips a season although the total is very unpredictable.

The local commercial fishing industry has been hard hit by sharply increased fuel costs. The scallop boats are among the hardest hit in the harbor but every boat owner has felt the crunch. The general category boats also have to deal with losing dredges, heavy sea conditions, and sometimes even loss of life. The American scallop fishery was also among the first to get mandatory vessel monitoring systems (VMS).

VMS systems cost several thousand dollars and record the movements of scallop boats from port to the fishing area and back. Early systems were plagued by problems but recent advances and policy changes have had positive impacts on scalloping efficiency. The systems require technical skills to setup and maintain. Typically a laptop computer is paired with the VMS hardware, giving the captain an accurate plot of fishing efforts.

Bill Hogarth, former NOAA Fisheries director described the scallop fishery's VMS compliance, stating "We are increasingly relying on satellite technology to monitor fishing near closed areas, and this decision supports the hard work that NOAA Fisheries enforcement agents put in to protect marine fisheries for honest fishermen."

American scallop boats are regulated by the sea scallop fishery management plan which was developed by the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) and administered by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).

A 2007 NEFMC report described the the scallop fishery as one of the most valuable US fisheries. The organization stated that landings have been in excess of 50 million pounds in recent years, with revenues around 300 million dollars annually. In 2007 over 300 limited access scallop vessels and several hundred general category vessels participated in the scallop fishery

NEFMC reports list average scallop revenue per general category vessel as $35,090 in 2004 and $88,702 in 2005. The average total revenue per general category vessel was higher, exceeding $240,000 in 2004 and 2005 fishing years. By comparison, yearly scallop revenue for USA limited entry boats often exceeds $1,000,000 and average total revenue per limited access vessel in recent years as high as $2,600,000. Revenue for both categories was down for 2006 and 2007.

Some of the local captains might look at these figures with skepticism, especially the total revenue. Most local fisheries are heavily restricted, and without an existing permit and documented historical landings, there are practically no other fisheries for the general entry boats to work in. As a result, most boats fish for scallops when they can and remain idle in between trips. Permitted boats are allowed a small bycatch of monkfish tail meat, but other bycatch must be discarded at sea. In contrast, boats that hold multiple permits are able to land by catch or other species throughout the year. To complicate matters, even though boats are fishing in federal waters, state regulations can apply to some of the catch, including the bycatch.

Ocean City Commercial Fishing Harbor contains several general category scallop boats, a few other trawlers, a fleet of surf clam-ocean quahog clam dredge boats, lobster and sea bass trap boats, longline boats, gillnet boats and a few inshore boats that target hard clams, blue crabs and a few other species. Other boats that dock in the port include private boats, charter boats and government vessels. The rest of the harbor area is occupied by seafood processors, marine services and construction businesses, government facilities and a mix of restaurants, bars, and shops. Several other harbors and marinas are nearby, many lined with row after row of multi-million dollar sport fishing boats and smaller pleasure and fishing boats.

Ocean City, Maryland is primarily a tourist resort, with a population that swells from less than 10,000 winter residents to over 2 million in the summer months. The Ocean City Inlet did not exist until1933, when the Chesapeake Potomac Hurricane tore thru the narrow island, separating Ocean City from Assateague Island. The Army Corps of Engineers stabilized the inlet making the town among the top mid-Atlantic fishing ports. The access to productive fishing grounds brought not only commercial fishing but recreational fishing, mostly boats that fish offshore for tuna, sharks, billfish and bottom fish.

Can commercial fishing survive in Ocean City?

Most of the commercial fishermen have doubts about their future. For the scallop boats, crews wait and try and meet expenses, knowing that the Elephant Trunk sits closed, holding a fortune in scallops that will either be harvested or left to die a natural death. Regulators could open the resource at any moment, or not at all and the final outcome is anyone's guess. The closed area to the south is even larger, but is likely to remain closed for 4 or more years before harvesters will be allowed back in.

Other local fishermen hang on as restrictions continue to tighten, fisheries close, fish stocks are in decline and expenses continue up. The real estate lust of the last 2 decades has made owning nearby property almost impossible. The increased value of waterfront property is also taking away access. One by one, traditional commercial fishing industry properties are being bought up and used for other purposes. Commercial fishing vessels are unwelcome among the yachts of the sportfishermen and finding a place to dock a boat, store gear to land seafood is becoming extremely difficult and expensive.

Another factor that could affect the scallopers and other fishermen is the concept of marine sanctuaries or marine protected areas (MPA). Under close scrutiny by scientists and environmentalists are areas of coral and other benthic environments, both locally and nationally. Scallop boats and other commercial operations that use towed gear are typically at the top of the list of users to be excluded from areas of live bottom.

Several entities have varying ideas about setting aside areas of ocean bottom. Proposed restrictions range from permanent total closures for all users, restricted access to some forms of fishing or limited time restrictions, such as the current ETAA. Marine sanctuaries are being heavily promoted by several environmental groups which have significant political clout. If commercial and recreational fishermen stand divided on this issue, both groups may face eventual exclusion from some areas.

The local community will have to recognize the importance of commercial fishing and rally to support the industry, or it is likely to fail here. Ocean City is among the top Atlantic coast vacation resorts, and people pour in to enjoy the beaches, amusements, natural beauty and fine dining. Almost every vacationer enjoys seafood here as often as possible. The tourists and locals alike come by to see the commercial boats, taking pictures and asking questions.

A few people believe that fish and other seafood stocks can be managed, regulations can be created that allow business to survive, and the competing groups such as commercial fishermen, recreational fisherman and naturalists can co-exist if they choose to work together.

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