Walden University ScholarWorks Frank Dilley Award for Outstanding Doctoral Study University Awards 1998 Oyster fisheries management of Maryland's Chesapeake Bay Diana Locke Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dilley This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the University Awards at ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Frank Dilley Award for Outstanding Doctoral Study by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type o f computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. 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Contact UMI directly to order. UMI A Bell & Howell Information Company 300 North Zed) Road, Ann Arbor MI 48106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. OYSTER FISHERIES MANAGEMENT OF MARYLAND’S CHESAPEAKE BAY by Diana Locke Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Administration/Management Walden University May 1998 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 9 840055 Copyright 1998 by Locke, Diana All rights reserved. UMI Microform 9840055 Copyright 1998, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, Ml 48103 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DISSERTATION OF DIANA LOCKE APPROVED: J. KENT MORRISON VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS WALDEN UNIVERSITY 1998 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Walden University ADMINISTRATION/MANAGEMENT This is to certify that I have examined the doctoral dissertation by Diana Locke and have found that it is complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made. Dr. Harry Coblentz, Committee Chair Applied Management and Decision Sciences Faculty Signature Date Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Walden University ADMINISTRATION/MANAGEMENT This is to certify that I have examined the doctoral dissertation by Diana Locke and have found that it is complete and satisfactory in all respects. Dr. Joseph Barbeau, Committee Member Applied Management and Decision Sciences Faculty f / j Date Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Walden University ADMINISTRATION/MANAGEMENT This is to certify that I have examined the doctoral dissertation by Diana Locke and have found that it is complete and satisfactory in all respects. Dr. Anthony Chan, Committee Member Education Faculty Signature 7 Date Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Walden University ADMINISTRATION/MANAGEMENT This is to certify that I have examined the doctoral dissertation by Diana Locke and have found that it is complete and satisfactory in all respects. Dr. David Bauer, Faculty Representative Professional Psychology Faculty Signature * Date Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Abstract OYSTER FISHERIES MANAGEMENT OF MARYLAND’S CHESAPEAKE BAY by Diana Locke M.S., University of Bridgeport, 1975 B.S., Mount Allison University, 1973 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Administration/Management Walden University May 1998 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT This study examines the concept of property rights in relation to fisheries resource management in the Maryland oyster fishery. An analysis of the past and present state of this fishery on the Chesapeake Bay focused on the administrative, biological, social, economic, and political influences in fisheries management and their potential consequences. This single fishery once provided a quarter of America's oysters but, if the oyster population decline continues, it may soon become a memory. Though Maryland has a dual property rights structure, private and public, the public fishery predominates. The reasons why privatization has not been a successfully implemented strategy, and whether the Maryland fishery embodies a unique situation better served by other management strategies, were addressed, and comm unity-based alternatives from other types of fisheries were evaluated for their efficacy and applicability to Maryland. Historical and current information on Chesapeake oyster populations, events contributing to population fluctuations, and changes in fisheries management strategies were examined for any causal trends and compared and contrasted with other fisheries. The study found that culture and job satisfaction prevents privatization from becoming an accepted property rights management strategy in Maryland. This study also illustrates how cooperative fisheries management strategies can address nonmonetary benefits, traditional values, and coastal community structures, while achieving a sustainable harvest, preserving a traditional way of life, and restoring habitat and the oyster’s role in the Bay’s ecology. Any changes in the future will likely be directed toward changing the rules of management and harvest for the public grounds. If oyster production is to be increased in the Chesapeake Bay, the cooperation, consent, and responsibility of the watermen are needed for any policy to be successfully implemented. The future of fisheries management will not and cannot be confined to fisheries biology' and population counts. It will need to encompass a broad arena of disciplines working together toward a common goal. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Many thanks go to the dedicated staff of the Marylandia and Rare Books Department of the University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland. Most of the books and articles pre-dating World War 1 that were used for background material for this study are housed in the Mary landia reading room, and the Department’s staff were very helpful in obtaining materials in what were sometimes very obscure references. My thanks also go to Dr. Victor Kennedy. University of Maryland Center for Estuarine and Environmental Research, Cambridge, Maryland: Dr. Susan Ford. Haskin Shellfish Laboratory of Rutgers State University of New Jersey. Port N'orris. New Jersey; Dr. William Hargis, Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), Gloucester Point. Virginia; Dr. Merrill Leffler, Maryland Sea Grant College, College Park. Mary land: Dr. William Goldsborough, Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Annapolis, Maryland; Dr. Chris Judy, Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Annapolis, Maryland, and Mr. Louis Wright. DNR Mattapeake Laboratory, Stevensville, Maryland for providing much encouragement, ideas, and access to research materials. The collection of oyster harvest data from both the Maryland and Virginia oyster fisheries would not have been possible were it not for the generous assistance of Ms. Connie Lewis. DNR. Annapolis, Maryland; Dr. Steve Jordan and Dr. Gary Smith. DNR Cooperative Fisheries Research Laboratory, Oxford, Maryland; Dr. Dexter Haven, VIMS, and Dr. David Bower, Virginia Marine Resources Commission, Newport News, Virginia. Finally . I am grateful to my husband, Robert Toense, who assisted me in the preparation of the maps, and provided me with encouragement, patience, and understanding during this challenging time in my life. ii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures ........................................................................................................ v CHAPTER 1 Introduction Defining the Problem ............................................................................................