CLEANINGUPTHECHESAPEAKE
Before sunrise on Chesapeake Bay, some 4,300 watermen are already offshore in their boats- raising crab pots near Annapolis, hauling nets near Solomons, dredging up mollusks off Tilghman Island. Since the 19th century-the heyday of Bay fishing-Chesapeake watermen have supplied U.S. markets with up to half the annual harvest of oysters, clams, and blue crabs.
Lately the catch is getting skimpy. This year, oystermen will bring fewer than one million bushels to market, c...