With the backing of sports fishermen and boaters in the Ocean City bays, commercial clam fisherman using hydraulic dredges could be put out of business next year, under a Senate bill passed Tuesday.
After a contentious debate over several days, senators rejected opponents? arguments that the clam dredgers did no harm and that they deserved compensation for their lost business. They also rejected the objection from Republicans that Sen. Lowell Stoltzfus, who represents the area and opposed the bill, was entitled to have his wishes honored through the custom called “local courtesy.”
The Senate version of the measure was defeated last week, only to have the issue brought back before them in the House version, sponsored by two local Democrats.
Stoltzfus insisted, based on a 2000 study, that the dredging did little damage to the shallow bays, and certainly no more than powerboats and wind action did.
When it became clear on Monday that the bill would pass, Sen. E.J. Pipkin, R-Queen Anne?s, proposed an amendment to pay the estimated three fishing operations involved up to $250,000 annually to compensate them for their lost catch and the depreciated value of their dredging equipment. He said similar compensation was paid to tobacco farmers to get them to change their crop.
“Here we?re putting them out of business” without any aid, said Senate Republican Leader David Brinkley of Frederick.
But Senate Majority Leader Edward Kasemeyer said the General Assembly often takes actions that hurt some businesses, but it often does little to help make up for their loss of income.
Sen. Roy Dyson, D-St. Mary?s, said Pipkin?s change “would just set a very, very bad precedent,” and encouraging the fisherman losing their livelihood to go into aquaculture was “the way to go.” Dyson did accept an amendment to delay the implementation of the measure for a year.
The bill passed the Senate 29-18, with five Democrats joining the 13 Republicans voting againstthe bill.
