The short answer to the question "What is a waterman?" is
that he is a person who makes his living from the water. In Maryland,
watermen have been making their living from the waters of Chesapeake
Bay for many generations. What do they do? They use special boats,
equipment, and skills to catch the bounty of the Bay - oysters, crabs,
clams, rockfish, and other seafood. People all over the country like
to eat these delicious foods.
But being a waterman is very hard work. You have to get
up early in the morning, get on your boat, and motor or sail out to
where the seafood is. You have to work on cold days and on hot days.
And the work - heaving heavy tongs, pulling up crab pots, sorting out
oysters - is hard. But watermen like the work because they are their
own bosses. Nobody tells them when to go out and when to stay home.
They make their own decisions.
"What is a waterman?" Listen to George O'Donnell
explain it. Mr. O'Donnell was a waterman for many years before he
went into politics in Queen Anne's County. Now he represents the
interests of watermen on his County Council.
Click below to listen to George O'Donnell answer the question,
"What is a waterman?"
