Potomac River Oyster Wars

Disputes over harvesting oysters in the Potomac River fueled violence between local watermen and Maryland’s fisheries police for many decades. Conflicts escalated after World War II as watermen violated Maryland law by dredging, rather than tonging, for oysters. When detected, they raced toward shallow waters with armed patrol boats in pursuit. After Maryland officers killed Virginian Berkeley Muse near here in April 1959, the fisheries police underwent extensive reforms, and the two states and the federal government finalized an agreement to regulate the river. In 1962 the U.S. Congress created the Potomac River Fisheries Commission, bringing an end to the era of violence.