Women Who Work the Waters of the Chesapeake Bay

By Mick Blackistone

Sell Sheet Synopsis (Trade & Retail Pitch)

Women Who Work the Waters of Chesapeake Bay by Mick Blackistone with Mitzi Bernard delivers an unprecedented, boots-on-the-deck celebration of the fierce women breaking barriers in North America's largest estuary. Long recognized primarily as shore-side support in a fiercely traditional, male-dominated trade, women today are claiming their rightful place on the open water-not as novelties, but as master captains, deckhands, and stewards of the Chesapeake.

Spanning maritime hubs across Maryland-from Solomons Island and St. Marys to Deale, Arnold, Rock Hall, and Tilghman Island-this compelling non-fiction collection profiles women of all generations who proudly claim the title of waterman. The book captures their daily realities through vivid storytelling:

The Relentless Harvest: Navigating grueling pre-dawn runs, foul weather, and backbreaking physical labor to trotline blue crabs, run hydraulic clam conveyors, haul pound nets for striped bass, and pull winter oyster dredges.Grit Across Generations: Profiles ranging from seasoned matriarchs and fourth-generation lifers to single mothers balancing childcare on deck, career converts, and prodigies like twelve-year-old boat-docking champion Peyton Reiss.Industry Under Siege: Real-time accounts of an aging trade fighting to survive devastating 2026 winter freezes, regulatory hurdles, shifting market prices, and ecological fallout.Advocacy & Heritage: How these women act as the Bay's fiercest defenders-fighting for sustainable fisheries, leading community fundraisers, and preserving a storied coastal culture.

Richly detailed and deeply authentic, Women Who Work the Waters of Chesapeake Bay is an essential addition to regional history, maritime heritage, and women's studies collections.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1962935213
• ISBN13: 9781962935210
• Release Date: January 1
• Publisher: High Tide Publications