The Delaware Bay oystering season ended several weeks, and degrees, later than usual this year.
Despite a bleak outlook in the early fall, when a majority of the bay was closed due to an influx of bacterial contaminants and fresh water from Hurricane Irene and subsequent heavy rains, most local oyster boats managed to fill their seasonal quotas.
The extension was a relief to wholesalers and commercial watermen from Port Norris and the surrounding area.
The beds that were affected most by the closure were those located around the mouth of the Maurice River and Cohansey Cove and Nantuxent Cove. The unprecedented closures amounted to nearly a month of lost harvest during what is normally the peak of the fall season.
Despite a reopening of the beds and a resumption of the oystering season, the lingering effects of this year’s record-setting weather are still being felt.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: News of Cumberland County
