As oyster war heats up, Maryland cracks down on poachers

In the past few months, police and poachers have played hide-and-seek in a tense drama that seems out of place along the new Chesapeake, with its art galleries and weekend homes.

The Post's David Farenthold took a look at the war over oyster poaching in a story today.

From David's story:

This year's oyster war is being fought with cellphones, glow sticks, fast boats and night-vision technology, but for the opposite reason.

Maryland, trying to protect a species whose ranks have declined by 99 percent, is cracking down on watermen who catch oysters in protected sanctuaries or with banned equipment. Over the winter, officers with the Maryland Natural Resources Police conducted undercover surveillance operations in small fishing towns and on rivers, hiding on patrol boats in the dark.

The blitz is welcomed by the Maryland Watermen's Association, which says bad oystermen are figuratively stealing from good ones. But some of those caught in the dragnet said that a shortage of oysters and tighter state laws have pushed them to break rules.

Read the full story on The Post's web site.