The Chesapeake Bay oyster wars were multiple wars between pirates and legal watermen and authorities during 1865 through 1959. Watermen from near and far would come to the Chesapeake Bay and sometimes even the Potomac River to harvest oysters. The oyster wars demonstrate exploration, encounter, and exchange in history. Exploration is demonstrated through the Chesapeake Bay oyster wars. Foreign watermen would travel far distances to come to the Chesapeake Bay to harvest oysters. Many did this because of restrictions in their harvesting areas, such as laws and/or the amount of oysters in their local oyster beds. “New England watermen encroached on the Bay after their local oyster beds had been exhausted… (1)” Oyster dredgers would clean out their local oyster beds and would search for places with a plethora of oysters so they can continue their business. …show more content…
When non-native watermen came to the waters of Chesapeake Bay, violence would break out many times. “The desire for Chesapeake Bay oysters and the economic benefits to be gained from their harvest led to fierce competition and even violence among watermen… (2)”. After the Civil War is when most violence broke out. “The Maryland Oyster Navy, a forerunner of today’s Maryland Natural Resources Police, was formed in 1868 to regulate the activities of the oystermen, as well as the violence that was occurring between the watermen. (3)”. The oyster navy consisted of two steamships, four schooners, and six sloops. There was an extreme amount of violence that Maryland felt the need to form an oyster navy to try and control the amount of violence so nothing gets too out of