OCEAN CITY, Md. -- Fuel prices at marinas remain steady from this summer, meaning fishermen are still paying a good chunk of change to fill their tanks. According to fishermen we spoke with, prices for diesel are still hovering around $5.50 per gallon.
Even though there aren't as many people out on the water, for those who are, high fuel prices are causing a bit of frustration for charter boat captains, like Jason Norton.
"It would be nice to see it come down some more for the guys," said Norton.
Norton said he's not looking for a dramatic drop, but would like to see the price of diesel become a bit more comparable to last years prices.
"Even if it’s something in the middle of what it was this time last year, this time last year it was three bucks a gallon, average," said Norton. "So I mean even if you could get it down in the fours by this spring, when all these boats return to town and start fishing, it'd be helpful."
Some of the frustration being felt by fishermen stems from the inequality between fuel prices at marinas and fuel prices at gas stations. At a gas station close to Sunset Marina in Ocean City, the price of diesel was almost a dollar cheaper.
Now, that may not seem like a huge difference, but Norton said with how many gallons boats nowadays can hold, and with how many gallons are burned a day, it begins to add up.
"Your average canyon trip these days is 300 gallons, plus, and that’s on the low end," said Norton. "I’d say your average is more like 500 gallons, so I mean, kind of do the math, it doesn’t lie."
We did the math, and even on the lower end, a canyon trip, about 40 to 60 miles off the coast, would use $1,650 worth of fuel.
Kerry Harrington, a commercial fishermen, said as fuel prices remain high, so does virtually everything else.
"It reflects back on seafood, it reflects back on the shipping and the handling, and all the stuff that's made with fuel, it comes back to haunt us," said Harrington.
Harrington also owns Seaborn Seafood, and he estimates the price of some seafood has gone up 25% in the last year. He said it all circles back to high diesel prices at the docks.
Whether it's a commercial fishermen or a charter boat fishermen, those who depend on fishing to make ends meet are hoping fuel prices at the marina are even with fuel prices at gas stations sooner rather than later.