WEST OCEAN CITY, Md. -- Rising diesel prices are weighing heavily on watermen as they gear up for spring.
While fuel costs may look different from what drivers see at the pump, watermen in Ocean City say they are currently paying just above $5 per gallon for diesel, a price that is cutting into already tight margins.
The timing is especially difficult. Crews are in preparation mode, setting gear before crab and lobster season officially begins, meaning they are spending money without bringing in revenue.
Sonny Gwin and his crew are currently setting lobster pots offshore so they are ready when the season opens on Apr. 1. For now, those trips are costing more than they earn.
"Once we get all the pots out, we'll start fishing them, and that's usually next month in April," said Gwin.
Until then, he estimates he is burning about 40 gallons of fuel per trip. At roughly $5 per gallon, that puts each setup run at about $200.
Down the dock, Kerry Harrington at Seaborn Seafood is facing similar challenges.
"You have to get your gear in the water, so you got to bite the bullet and go," Harrington said.
Harrington’s crew is also making longer fishing runs to the Carolina coast, and those trips come with even higher fuel costs and greater risk.
"We're burning 600, 800 gallons, and that's a chunk," said Harrington. "It's a gamble in a way, because you're assuming you're going to catch fish, but if something goes wrong, you don't catch a fish, then you got a big hole," Harrington said.
At current prices, that “big hole” could range from $3,000 to $4,000 per trip.
The rising costs are not keeping Harrington off the water, but they are adding pressure to make every trip profitable.
"You got to be careful that you're not going to ride around the ocean for three days and come back with a negative," Harrington said.
Despite the challenges, there is some optimism in the West Ocean City Harbor. Gwin hopes the spike in diesel prices is temporary, while Harrington expects trips to become shorter and less expensive as summer approaches.
