IT’S THE BAY LIFE FOR ME

A waterman is someone who makes a living and supports their family using the natural resources provided by the Chesapeake Bay. Some of the many resources gathered from the Bay include the famous Chesapeake blue crab (Callinectes sapidus, or “beautiful swimmer”) in the summer months, the thriving oyster population from October to April, and fresh rockfish in the spring and summer. Through it all, watermen are working hard to put fresh seafood on the tables of families, restaurants, and grocery store shelves. Every person who has worked on the Chesapeake Bay has countless stories and a shared passion and appreciation for the Bay and what it provides.

The first images of a waterman I saw came from coffee table books at my grandparents’ house. Since then, they’ve been etched into my memory. Black and white images of hard-working, industrious men in homemade wooden boats captivated me. At the time, I wasn’t exactly sure what they were doing but I was determined to figure out how to do it myself. Dreams of owning and running my very own workboat occupied my thoughts constantly. Even in my fifth-grade yearbook—where most of my counterparts wanted to be NBA players, astronauts, or the president—I wrote that I wanted to be a crabber. At 11 years old, I bought my first boat out of the penny saver. It was an 8-foot rowboat that I bought with money from cutting grass and building crab pots for my parents only waterman friend, CJ Canby. Something in CJ resonated with me. Like me, he was not born into a family of watermen. He became my mentor and at 12 years old I began to work on his boat. It was then that I finally experienced the very thing I’d been striving for since I saw those black and white images years before.

Local Eats

As an Anne Arundel County native and a local waterman, I prefer to spend my hard-earned money locally. After you’ve spent the day visiting beautiful Downs Park in Pasadena, The Stony Creek Inn right down the road is a great spot for lunch. Locally owned and operated, it’s a friendly place to try a soft crab sandwich fresh from the bay—one of my favorite ways to enjoy crab! All the soft crabs are caught and shed by my mentor CJ. After enjoying an afternoon on the boat, you can load it back up using the new boat ramp at Fort Smallwood Park in Pasadena. If you don’t have any luck catching dinner at the fishing pier, you can head down the road to Primo Pasta. The food is always excellent with service to match. If you’re looking to sit down and crack a couple claws with friends and enjoy some casual beers, Crab Town USA is an excellent choice. The crabs are caught locally and delivered daily for people to enjoy. If you find yourself in downtown Annapolis (or DTA, as the locals call it) and you’re looking to treat yourself to a more upscale dining experience, check out Preserve for a true chef’s take on the freshest local ingredients.

As I look back on my career as a Chesapeake Bay waterman, I can’t help but remember all those images I saw in that coffee table book when I was a boy. Today, I am fully living my dream. However, as I navigate the new waters of social media, I am also learning to use my newfound voice to advocate for watermen while shedding light on the significant issues that affect the health of the Chesapeake Bay. There are many issues surrounding the Bay concerning waste run-off, water treatment plants, catch regulations, and politics. We need to keep these issues top of mind so we can keep the seafood industry in Maryland alive and thriving. Thankfully, when you choose to spend your money with small businesses, you’re positively effecting our community and supplying jobs for the people who catch the seafood, the ones who serve it to you, and everyone in between. On behalf of my hometown and as a small business owner, we thank you for choosing to visit us in Anne Arundel County and buy locally. It truly makes a difference to the people here.

LUKE MCFADDEN , Captain of the FV Southern Girl , is a first-generation Chesapeake Bay waterman. You can find him crabbing and keeping his boat, pots, and other tools in good repair on TikTok, Youtube, Facebook and Instagram. Bodkin Point Seafood | Phone: (410) 979-9941