 Richard Pelz,
founder and CEO of the Circle C Oyster Ranch in Ridge, Maryland, stands
on a modest pier that stretches out into St. Jerome Creek near the mouth
of the Chesapeake Bay. "There used to be thick black muck here," Pelz
says of the beach, "now I leave footprints in the sand." The water here
is clear and teeming with fish, crabs and shrimp. Ospreys nest just off
the end of the pier; this is the vision that Pelz has for the entire
Bay.
He reaches his hand into a five gallon bucket. "Do you want to see the
baby oysters?" he asks, beaming like a proud father. In fact, Pelz is
something of a father to these oysters. Selective breeding stands at one
cornerstone of the Circle C operation. For nearly two decades, Pelz has
been perfecting his own strain of Crassostrea Virginica or Eastern
Oyster, as he calls the Lineback© oyster. What he has achieved is a
bigger, meatier oyster. Combined with Pelz's patented Floating Oyster
Reef™, Circle C oysters can grow up to three times faster than wild
oysters.
Pelz doesn't see the same barriers that most people do. When he was six
years old, he developed mumps meningitis. He spent six weeks in an
intensive care unit and had to relearn basic skills, such as crawling.
One of the lingering effects was dyslexia, but Pelz has never thought of
it as a disability. "I see things differently. There is no up or down,
left or right." It is this kind of thinking that allowed Pelz to pursue
a career in aquaculture.
Signs of Pelz invention are all around the Circle C Oyster Ranch. "I
really enjoy the research and development side of things," he says. In
fact, Pelz invented the floating oyster reef system that Circle C
employs. Hundreds of oyster reefs float off Pelz pier, all at various
stages of maturity.
Since childhood, Pelz has cared about the environment. His father
encouraged him to join the International Oceanographic Foundation. Pelz
says it took him about a month of working odd jobs and saving his
allowance to raise the $20 he needed for his membership. Likely one of
the foundation's youngest members, he waited anxiously each month for
his copy of Sea Frontiers: Bulletin of the International Oceano?graphic
Foundation. There he learned of the potential of the Chesapeake Bay to
produce food.
At the heart of Pelz's operation is his desire to help starving children
around the world by producing local food. Growing oysters for food is so
important to Pelz because producing local food leaves resources in third
world countries to those who need it most.
Historically, the Chesapeake Bay was one of the world's leading
producers of oysters in the world. Near the end of the 19th century,
Maryland boasted a record 15 million bushels harvested in just one
season. Since then, however, the oyster production has sharply declined.
Over harvesting, pollution and disease are mainly to blame. Pelz is
determined to help restore the Bay with his innovative oyster
cultivation methods.
Pelz lobbies local and state officials for Bay-friendly legislation and
often speaks about his floating oyster reef system and its benefits. He
passes his message along to the next generation of would be
aquaculturists by hosting school field trips at the Circle C Oyster
Ranch.
"Oysters," Pelz says, "are the keystone species. "If you can fix the
oyster problem, you can fix the rest."
The Circle C Oyster Ranch is located at 49944 Airedele Road in Ridge,
Maryland. Visitors are welcome; please call 301-872-4177 to schedule an
appointment. |
