Virginia has opened more Chesapeake Bay waters to oyster harvesting this month, anticipating greater demand for the bay's meager oyster stocks because of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
The Virginia Marine Resources Commission historically has opened public waters to oyster harvesting in stages through the fall and winter months, starting Oct. 1. This year, the commission agreed to an industry request to open up more of the bay and its tributaries to oyster boats that use power dredges and individuals with hand tongs.
"An October opening for Virginia is going to give them a jump on the market that already is paying higher than normal prices for oysters because they're in scarcer supply," commission spokesman John M.R. Bull said Tuesday.
Large areas of commercial fishing have reopened in the Gulf but consumer demand for Gulf seafood has waned and so have prices. The wider bay opening gives Virginia oystermen about a one-month jump on the Gulf's oyster season. The change was first reported by the Daily Press of Newport News.
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