Firings endanger Chesapeake Bay cleanup

The firing of Tom O’Connell, the former state Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Service director, is a victory of short-sighted politics over science and longterm commitment to Chesapeake Bay restoration (“Turnover at DNR, as four top officials depart,” May 29).

The narrow interests of some overzealous exploiters of bay fisheries have already resulted in poaching on the fish and shellfish resources and the violation of sanctuaries established for long-term oyster recovery.

The regulation of catches and the rebuilding of oyster reefs was aimed at recreating the ecological benefits of a healthy oyster community and the re-establishment of a healthier commercial and sport harvest. But these goals cannot be achieved if lessregulated catching is allowed to drive these resources to the point where no one can either makealiving from them or enjoy them.

It takes time for that to happen, and it is expensive. But we are now 31 years into the bay restoration effort that began in 1984. We have 10 years left to do what our best estimates say needs to be done: Improve the sewage plants, control the air pollution, reduce the land-runoff of nutrients, restore the forests, clean up the water, control the catch and try to give bay life the chance to build resilience against the diseases.

It all takes sacrifice and it’s all for regaining the benefits of healthy life support systems. There have been many past civilizations that failed to understand this truth, and they paid the price.

Getting rid of people who will state unpleasant truths and carry out what needs to be done when it’s not popular with pressure groups will not bring about restoration, nor will it guarantee restoring a thriving seafood harvest community. Firing Tom O’Connell was wrong in every sense.

Nick Carter, Greensboro The writer is a retired DNR marine biologist.