Parts of the Potomac River near the Chesapeake Bay are being considered for a national marine sanctuary designation. That’s because the remains of more than 100 World War I wooden steamships lay just below the surface.
A panel of Virginia and Maryland watermen, though, are suspicious of the designation and how it might affect their livelihood.
Watermen have a cantankerous history with the ghost ships of Mallows Bay. In 1923, hundreds of ships built for the WWI war effort were scrapped, some hauled to areas of the Potomac to be burned.
At the time, watermen hired a lawyer to stop the polluting practice. But today, the remaining hulls are great places to set nets and to draw ecotourism.
Designating it as a sanctuary means federal involvement, something watermen like Robert T. Brown don't want.
"Most of the time when NOAA comes, it doesn't work in our favor," said Brown, referring to the federal organization that would oversee the sanctuary.
Brown spoke at a public input meeting Wednesday night. He, along with other watermen,questioned whether the ships were ever used in the war effort or were overstock, discarded like household trash.
NOAA's Paul “Sammy” Orlando tried to set the record straight.
"The history of this area is actually quite significant," he said. "These actually did serve their purpose in World War I."
Waterman James Bowling expressed another concern - whether a sanctuary designation would eventually take precedence over fishing.
In the end, watermen recommended to the Potomac River Fisheries Commission the sanctuary stay within the confines of Mallows Bay, instead of spreading further into their fishing grounds on the Potomac.
The full commission meets March 20.