Gov. Hogan Vetoes Oyster Sanctuary Bill
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) — To build an oyster sanctuary, oyster larvae are hatched in a lab and brought into contact with old shells. The results are tiny oysters called spat.
The system can place millions of oysters onto a man-made reef. Those designated sanctuaries are off limits to harvesting.
A bill passed by Maryland's legislature would establish five permanent oyster sanctuaries under state law.
Gov. Larry Hogan said, "This bill is bad policy, is bad for our watermen, and worst of all is bad for the Chesapeake Bay."
Hogan vetoed the bill that would establish five permanent oyster sanctuaries under state law on Thursday night.
Groups like the Chesapeake Bay Foundation back the theory that protected oysters will develop immunity to diseases that have been devastating in the past.
"If you have oysters that survive disease and they are taken out for harvest, those genes are not passed down to the next generation," Alison Prost, of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, said.
The House of Delegates voted to override Hogan's veto, and the Senate is expected to do the same thing.
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