The harsh winter hasn't only hit motorists hard — it's also done a number on aquaculturists, especially on hard-hit Tangier Island in the Chesapeake Bay.
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) says about 175 of the floating cages watermen use to grow market oysters went missing. The group is asking fishermen, boaters and coastal residents to keep an eye out for them.
"The nasty weather in the Chesapeake Bay — the high winds, ice and snow — has caused scores of floating cages used by Tangier Island watermen for growing oysters to break loose and drift off into the (bay)," said CBF spokesman Chuck Epes.