OCEAN CITY, Md.-The town of Ocean City, the Worcester County Government, commercial, and recreational fisherman came together recently to send an important message to the Army Corps of Engineers. They want the inlet dredged. The Army Crops of Engineers responded and plan to dredge the inlet now.
Commercial fisherman Kerry Harrington said working on the water has become more difficult due to the shallow inlet.
"We run aground and can't pass in the inlet. That's not how it is supposed to be. This inlet is supposed to be maintained of a draft of I think 11 feet," said Harrington.
The shallow water caused substantial damage to Harrington's boat and many others. Harrington said the problem is so bad its driven boats out of town.
"There's a whole fleet of clam boats that used to operate out of West Ocean City Harbor that brought substantial amount of income into this area that have now moved the whole operation to New Jersey. They moved because the inlet was causing so much havoc with their vessels," said Harrington.
Spearheading the effort is State Delegate Mary Beth Carozza. She said the inlet depth is putting Worcester County's economy in jeopardy.
"This is our livelihood. You have the commercial fisherman who need to get in, and out of course. You have the recreational boaters, and of course they support our local economy here. We have the White Marlin Tournament. We don't want to jeopardize that. Then you think of all the businesses that are dependant on these businesses," said Carozza.
Carozza said the Army Corps of Engineers responded to their request and plan to dredge the inlet in August in Worcester County.
