Time to talk
about November, before it slips away.
The month started on Saturday 11/2 with a quick trip down with Blair to
do some crabbing. It was a decent warm
(68F) day and we got out into the marsh at about 11 AM, only to discover that
it had been nearly drained. So now, I am
restricted to using an electric motor, and also there is only about 1 1/2 feet
of water tops in the impoundment- just GREAT!
Well, we launched and had no sooner set anchor in the canal (100 yrds
away from the ramp) and the DNR pulls up along the road and engages us. Here’s the deal- I had brought the gas motor
also on back of the boat. It turns out that a
new drainage device had been installed, which had required them closing the
marsh for two weeks and dropping the level 1-2 feet. I was also informed that although the new motor
restrictions did not specify such, it was not permitted to even have a gas
motor onboard the boat. Again- GREAT !
So, they let me slide since this had not been posted and we proceeded to crab. After about hour and a half I had a half
dozen, and we needed a change of venue.
So, I pushed the boat down the canal painfully slow with my 17 lb thrust
motor (so glad I had just sold my 35 lb thrust motor, right!) all the way to
the first dike. And wow I was surprised
to see just how badly this had silted in from water coming over the dike into
the impoundment. Anyway, we found a
worthy spot on the point about 2 feet deep, and anchored. Here we proceeded to round out our catch to
just over 3 dozen decent crabs. They
were not quite the quality and size of the previous trip, but they would
do. And combined with some fresh
oysters, fried of course, they made for quite the feast.
I am totally
not pleased about these new motor restrictions, which now limit me from using a
gas engine during my peak time of the year for crabbing. I took the opportunity to communicate my
position on this back to the DNR- they had a place online to submit comments on
the Wildlife Management Area rules and restrictions. And here is the text of my comments:
Hello,
I
would like to comment on item 28.B. of the proposed WMA Regulations. First, let me start by saying what a great
overall job DNR has done at being a good steward of the Deal Island Wildlife
Management Area. I have enjoyed using
this resource for the last 34 years. My
primary uses have been diverse- fishing, hunting, crabbing, biking, hiking, and
waterfowl observation and photography.
I
am strongly not in favor of the restriction on use of gasoline-powered outboard
motors in the impoundment between October and March. This time of year is historically an optimal
time for recreational crabbing in the Deal Island WMA impoundment area. It coincides with the various waterfowl
hunting seasons, and has peacefully coincided with them in the 34 years I have
used the impoundment. The new guideline,
which now only permits use of vessels propelled by electric motor, severely
limits the range of vessels to a very short distance from the impoundment
launching ramp at end of Riley Roberts Road.
My understanding is that this recent restriction was implemented to
increase the overall waterfowl hunting experience and to improve waterfowl
habitat.
In
my many years in using the impoundment during the fall for recreational
crabbing, there is minimal overlap between waterfowl hunters and recreational
crabbers both geographically and temporally.
Particularly in the cooler weather of the fall, crabbing is only
effective beginning late morning or even
early afternoon as the weather cools.
Also, while the waterfowl hunters usually seek more secluded areas where
they can lay decoys, etc, the recreational crabber is typically using either
the main channel or the area immediately surrounding one of the dikes.
In
terms of waterfowl habitat, I do not believe the use of gas-powered outboard
motors is dramatically affecting the silting-in or sedimentation of the
impoundment salt marsh. These processes
are occurring both by natural growth and decay of marsh grasses and also by
past use of the impoundment by waterfowl hunters using “mud-boats”.
Lastly,
the restriction on gas outboards seems unfair to the public at large, as the
impoundment is public land managed for a variety of recreational uses and not
solely waterfowl hunting. If the
Maryland Waterfowl Association has provided funding toward the Deal Island WMA,
that should not buy their interest group preferential treatment in the
designation of policies meant to manage this public resource. Thank you in advance for consideration of my
comments.
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