Maryland law severely limits the manner in which oysters may be taken from the Maryland portion of the Bay.  Oyster dredging is  not permitted by any workboat which is powered.  As a result the Bay skipjack is the only craft used in Maryland for dredging on the Bay.  While the skipjacks themselves may not be powered, they are permitted to have powered yawl boats to maneuver to and from the oyster beds.  In addition, a single exception to this law provides that while dredging is limited to non-powered sail craft, these yawl boats may also be used to push the unpowered skipjacks while dredging on Monday and Tuesday of each week; only sail power is permitted on other days.

Because of these limitations a popular and productive alternative method of gathering oysters in Maryland has been by hand tonging.  These tongs have long shafts which range in length from a few feet to well over thirty feet depending on the depth of the water being fished.  Hand tonging for oysters is among the most strenuous forms of physical labor which is made worse by open exposure to the ice and cold of the winter season.

Among the many areas where tongers work is the Tred Avon river.  The Amanda Mae, shown here between Oxford and Bellevue, presents a common winter scene in Maryland estuaries.