As of Tuesday, March 10, Maryland is lifting the closure of shellfish waters on the Potomac River.
Harvests of shellfish were shut down in January after the Potomac Interceptor pipe near Washington D. C. burst, creating one of the largest sewage spills in the region. For oystermen 60 miles downstream, it created a public relations nightmare.
Last week, the Potomac River Fisheries Commission extended oyster harvests to April 14. And, while ice in February prevented workboats from going out on the Potomac, it was the sewage spill that really hurt oyster sales.
"I’m one of the middlemen," explains oyster buyer Bill Kilinski. "I'm buying oysters and resell them to other people." Those include shuck houses and restaurants.
Then came the sewage spill. Out of an abundance of caution, Maryland, which oversees the Potomac River, immediately shut down oystering in the closest shellfish waters about 60 miles from the spill site, in Charles County Maryland. Watermen from Virginia and Maryland work the area. The closure was put in place before testing those waters for e-coli and other dangerous bacteria.
"They did do a precautionary closure on all shellfish. Shellfish being specifically oysters or clams, not crabs or fish, from the 301 bridge north," Kilinski notes.
When Maryland conducted tests they found no harmful contamination. On February 26, the Maryland Department of Environment posted a video promoting Potomac River oysters are safe to eat.
But Kilinski said the damage was done.
"The consumer across the nation specifically said, 'we did not want oysters from the Potomac River,' which truly impacted our fishery, and how many days a week we could work. It was a severe impact."
With the season extended and a banner year for harvests, oystermen are trying to get the word out that their oysters were never affected.