NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — July 24, 2014 — Some area marinas collecting increased bushel fees from oyster harvesters as baywide delicacy rebounds.
On a cloudy muggy morning along the shores of Deep Creek in Newport News' Menchville area, third generation marina operator Lonnell Perok-Coffen carries on the business left in her hands nearly five years ago by her father Steven Perok.
"Business has been very good," Coffen said, shortly after zooming around on her forklift at Newport News' Menchville Marina. "The watermen are bringing in more, which is good to see."
Oysters, long a major catch along the shores and tributaries of Chesapeake Bay across Hampton Roads, are finally showing signs of a comeback.
Jim Wesson, who oversees the management of oyster fisheries for the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, said the Commonwealth's oyster harvest is expected to top more than 500,000 bushels — its highest level since 1987, but millions of bushels short of totals that once topped 10 to 11 million in the late 1890s and 1930s, Wesson said.
"The state of oysters is very good," Wesson said of Virginia's current production. "I started in 1992, and I've never seen this many in my career."
The end result could mean a bounty of oysters for the winter, but big bucks for marina operators lucky enough to land harvesters unloading oysters from private beds this summer.
As the blue crab industry struggles, Wesson said the number of new leases for private oysters beds has skyrocketed. The end result is more summer business for harvest marinas across the region.
Another boon for the Chesapeake Bay delicacy has been its demand along the Gulf Coast, an area still reeling from the BP oil spill, and oyster beds, both public and private, that sustained significant damage from Hurricane Katrina nearly 10 years ago, Wesson said.
"That has pushed early demand for Virginia oysters up," Wesson said.
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