In Virginia poachers thriving alongside oyster growers
SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Richmond Times-Dispatch] By Rex Springston - September 22, 2014 -
After nearly succumbing to parasitic diseases, Virginia's oysters have made a huge comeback.
Now another parasite is on the rise - the oyster poacher.
Some watermen are increasingly stealing oysters from beds restored with taxpayer dollars, from beds built up by private companies, from beds set aside as oyster sanctuaries and - perhaps most worrisome - from beds closed by the state because those waters are polluted.
"Poaching is probably too light a term to be using," said Tommy Leggett, who grows oysters in the southern Chesapeake Bay. "It's flat-out stealing. It's no different than somebody going into someone's home and stealing out of their home."
After issuing 45 to 55 poaching summonses, or charges, annually for years, the Virginia Marine Police issued 69 in 2010 and 159 last year. Summonses are on pace to top 300 this year...
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