Storm clouds hang over workboats rigged for oystering at a marina in Chance, Maryland. One of the traditional fishing communities of Somerset County on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, watermen here have been working through economic depressions, environmental challenges, and radical changes in regulation. Though considerably smaller than in year’s past, the fleet still leaves in the morning to harvest whatever is seasonally available, up to the chance of tide, wind, and timing.

Image by author.