To say that bilge water from a boat is a pollutant to the water is utterly ridiculous

Omega has to use sea water to be able to pump the fish out of their nets, once the fish is onboard the water is returned back to the sea. It only contains some slurry and scales with fish mucous causing the foaming. This in no way is a pollutant to the water, this is an all natural happening that occurs naturally when a school of fish attacks a school of menhaden whether it is stripped bass, mackerel or drum.

Some 7000 recreational boats are on the Chesapeake Bay and they all have bilge pumps and most have live wells that pump water overboard, is this a pollutant?

What about other user groups , pound net fisherman bailing their nets, hard crab potters washing their crab pots, up-wellers for oyster larvae production, pressure washing oyster cages.

Maybe the people that think about this stuff need to walk out on their front lawns and wonder where all the nitrogen goes that drains off their lawns into the water killing all the SAV in front of their homes

This petition is bad policy and I hope that the DEQ see's what a mess this could become!!