CALVERT COUNTY, Md. - On Monday, February 12, at 5 p.m., Md. Natural Resources Police (NRP) charged David C. Scholten, 51, of Mechanicsville with catching oysters for noncommercial purposes during restricted time. Scholten was allegedly harvesting oysters with shaft tongs in the Patuxent River near Solomons. NRP seized one half bushel of oysters from Scholten's vessel and returned them to the waters of the state.
A Maryland resident may take up to one bushel of oysters per day without obtaining a license, if the oysters are for his own use and consumption, and not for sale or marketing. The season for catching oysters for noncommercial purposes is from October 1 through March 31, Monday through Friday from sunrise until 3 p.m. and Saturday from sunrise until 12 p.m. A person may catch oysters for noncommercial purposes only by hand, rake, shaft tong, or diving with or without scuba equipment.
Scholten has a May 2 trial date scheduled in Calvert County District Court.