WENONA -- A partial comeback of the oyster population in Tangier Sound has local watermen working closer to home this winter instead of heading to Rock Hall and other areas of the Chesapeake Bay far to the north.

"It's nice to have some oysters here again," said Arby Holland, who owns a general store at Wenona Harbor where skipjack captains and other oystermen meet for coffee and conversation every day. "In the past it's been like a ghost town."

But while this year's catch is better, Holland said watermen are selling their oysters for about $22 a bushel compared to $30 or $35 last year.

What watermen have observed about the oyster population is backed up by the recently released 2008 oyster survey by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

"Preliminary results from 2008 indicate that reproduction was poor throughout most of the bay, with the exception of the lower Eastern Shore areas of Tangier Sound, Honga River and the Little Choptank River," said Mitch Tarnowski, DNR fisheries biologist. "In general, mortalities and oyster disease levels appear to be relatively low again this year."

In Tangier Sound, the mortality rate was 9 percent -- the lowest in the bay -- which Tarnowski attributed to above average rainfall.

Oyster diseases MSX and dermo thrive in higher salinity levels in the bay that are prevalent during drought years, especially in the lower bay.

In the 1980s, the Tangier Sound oyster population was hit hard by the diseases. While there has been some recovery over the past 20 years, the population is still below average, Tarnowski said.

With higher salinity in the bay between 1999 and 2002, MSX, dermo and oyster mortality was higher than average. The relatively wet years between 2003 and 2006 translated to reduced disease pressure and lower oyster mortality.

As part of the 2008 survey, biologists assessed more than 1,800 oysters collected from 282 oyster bars. The dry summer of 2007 did not result in high disease levels similar to previous dry years. Dermo increased in 2007, but remained below normal in both prevalence and intensity. MSX increased in frequency, but for the fifth straight year observed oyster mortality remained low.

"Oyster mortality in 2006 and 2007 were the two lowest years since the 1980's. It's too early to know if this is a trend, but this is a very positive development that we will be monitoring carefully," said Mike Naylor, Director of DNR's Shellfish Program.

somersetherald@dmg.gannett.com

410-651-1600