Worcester County begins dredging project ahead of White Marlin Open
Thanks to federal partners, crews have begun dredging about 10,000 cubic yards of material in the Ocean City Harbor, Inlet and Isle of Wight Bay Channel. State Sen. Mary Beth Carozza expressed gratitude to town officials, Worcester County government and her constituents for helping move the request forward.
“We work together to make these requests so that they know, at the federal level, this dredging is absolutely essential for our commercial fishing industry, recreational boating, tourism and our whole way of life down here,” Carozza said.
Many officials considered the project’s start an emergency, because of navigational hazards posing safety issues for commercial and recreational vessels during peak summer, especially with the White Marlin Open set for Aug. 4.
With the White Marlin Open approaching in a couple of weeks, officials were eager to complete the work. Bob Mitchell, director of Worcester County’s Environmental Programs, said the project is about access.
“We also have the influx of 400-plus boats for our tournaments. It’s a matter of safety, and it’s a matter of traffic,” Mitchell said. “We really need it for vessel safety. And it’s not only for the recreational fishermen and the fishermen in the tournaments. It’s also for the commercial fishermen who operate out of the harbor in West Ocean City.”
Senator Carozza added the significance of the fishing tournament in the resort town. “They come to participate in the White Marlin Open because there is nothing like it in the entire world, so we must have our inlet clear,” she said.
According to tournament director Madelyne Motsko, this year will bring the largest audience in the event’s history.
“We are the world’s largest and richest billfish tournament,” Motsko said. “That means every year we have more participants and award more prize money than any other tournament over the course of our 52 years.”
You can still register your boat, or spectate the event.
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