Eco and Educational Boat Tours Full of Information on the Seafood Industry and Local Watermen History

This story appears in the August issue of the Northern Neck Sentinel
 
Captain David Rowe who operates the Bay Quest, welcomed a group of students, chaperons and parents on a recent trip from Lewisetta Marina. The purpose of the trip was for the students to get some hands on learning about our local environment and the seafood industry. Learning about where our seafood comes from and how important it is for us to manage the populations of fish and environment is best learned by such hands on experiences.
Captain Rowe did not disappoint. His 43 foot Chesapeake Deadrise is the style of boat that is our official state boat. After getting coolers and gear onboard, the captain assisted everyone onto his clean and well-kept boat, which had been turned into a floating classroom for the day. He then did a safety brief and an overview of what the tour would consist of before professionally casting off and slipping the boat out into the Coan River. Ospreys flew overhead as did gulls and terns.
Within a few minutes the captain was tweaking his positioning of the boat considering the slight breeze and tide that was flowing before he dropped anchor. He pointed out that he had a special one day permit to do his tour and then jumped right in to explaining how the boat was over a public oyster bed. He pointed out the private oyster leases nearby and explained how people can fish near or over them, but could not take any oysters from those private leases.
Captain Rowe asked questions to determine prior knowledge from the crowd of parents and students and then began filling in the gaps with his years of knowledge as a waterman. He discussed how the oysters are so important in filtering our water, how they create habitat for other creatures such as the mud crab, shrimp and fish and so on. He then discussed how watermen make a living harvesting oysters while demonstrating it with oyster tongs. Students were encouraged to try tonging for oysters and several stepped up and did so. Once there were oysters aboard the boat, students were able to examine them up close and see what they looked like and actually found a pea crab in several. Shrimp larvae or baby shrimp were found too. The captain then showed students the inside of the oyster, pointed out how to shuck oysters and then demonstrated it before allowing a student to try. Of course such a trip cannot take place without eating one raw right out of the shell which the captain did before he offered the students an opportunity. He used this time to explain how oysters taste different depending on the salinity of the water.
After moving from the oyster grounds, the knowledgeable waterman took the crew to a crab pot and pulled it showing students how it was built, the cull rings and their purpose and the crabs inside. A hands on biology lesson was then begun with the anatomy of the crabs discussed before he spoke about the crabbing industry all the while taking some really good questions from the students and parents. Students were able to hold the crabs before releasing them back into the river.
Some water quality work was in order, so the captain could record the data before a lunch break was taken. Some of the water quality included water temperature, clarity, salinity and dissolved oxygen levels.
After a break at the marina, students reboarded Bay Quest and went out to trawl the river to get a species sampling. A large net was dragged with planers or “doors” across a known bottom the captain has consistently used (great point for the science students about controlling variables!) and then the net was retrieved and counting and examining of the species began. Spot, croaker, hogchokers, which look like a flounder relative, crabs, bay anchovies and silversides were in the net. The students were able to handle them and measure them.
On the way back in from the educational tour, the captain took the students over to an oyster house to discuss how that operated. A boat with a rack of oyster cages pulled up about the time the boat arrived and began offloading the cages full of oysters. Mountains of oyster shells which are used in growing the oysters were observed.
Captain Rowe does fishing charters but he has also increasingly met a demand for trips such as this educational cruise in the Coan River which empties into the Potomac River. His knowledge about the water, the species living in it and the history of the surrounding area is astounding and leaves attendees with a much greater appreciation from where their fish, oysters and crabs come from and how much work goes into getting them from the water to the plate. Because of his deep roots in the area he is able to speak about a variety of things and answer pretty much any question that one might ask.
If you and your friends are interested in seeing the bay or saltwater from a completely different angle, his tour is highly recommended. School groups, church groups or just a group of friends up to 24 people can be accommodated. Lewisetta is a very relaxing drive from anywhere in our region and worthy of your time. Go to his website to get more info. https://www.bayquestfishing.com/
 
Note: This trip was possible due to the generosity of the Snow family from King George and all of the late Richard Snow’s friends who donated in his honor to the Friends of the Rappahannock so that students in the King George Outdoor Club could attend. Richard loved the outdoors and loved learning about all that he observed. We thank the Snow family and their friends for donating to Friends of the Rappahannock!