Watermen Heritage Tours

In 2010 the Chesapeake Conservancy, in partnership with the Maryland Waterman’s Association, Coastal Heritage Alliance and the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum developed a new program to help give watermen tour guiding skills they could use to help them supplement their incomes following several years of dramatically low fish and crab harvests and strict harvesting limits.

Congress made $15 million dollars available for bay restoration and support for the fishermen.  A portion of the funds were used to develop The Waterman’s Heritage Tourism Training Program, which provides training for watermen to develop heritage tours around topics they are familiar with – the cultural traditions, maritime history, the places and stories that exemplify life on the bay. Many tours can be custom designed to fit your particular interests, whether it’s  trying your hand at ‘tonging’ for oysters, visiting the area lighthouses and heritage sites, fishing, or just a great day out with the family. Book a tour with one of our featured watermen. And check out the farm tours offered by several of the oyster aquaculture producers in this guide.