Watermen across the Chesapeake Bay stopped working Tuesday to protest the lowering of oyster prices at a time when oystermen are already pinched for harvest.
This oyster season watermen have been squeezed into smaller harvest areas, as result of Gov. Martin O'Malley's oyster restoration plan, which increased sanctuaries from 9 percent to 25 percent of the workable Bay floor.
Watermen also got word Monday that buyers were reducing what they would pay for a bushel from $40 to $35 with another $5 reduction possible next week.
The watermen said they stopped working Monday to get the big packing houses to take notice, although many said the move is likely futile.
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