When the Mid-Shore Fishing Club was MSSA Dorchester, the MSSA Scholarship Foundation started a special scholarship “to honor the life and work of Clint Waters. Clint was the former President of MSSA Dorchester. He spent the last 20 years giving his time and energies to improve the marine environment of the Choptank River and the Chesapeake Bay. Examples of major projects initiated during his Presidency include the construction and deployment of hundreds of concrete reef balls to sites in and around Cambridge that are developing into productive fishing reefs and much needed restoration of aquatic habit and the relentless efforts by his Chapter and MSSA to achieve regulation of the Menhaden fishery that is essential to the health of many species of finfish, particularly the striped bass population. Under Clint’s leadership, these efforts have left the Choptank River and the Bay in better condition to provide sustainable levels of the precious marine resources. In 2016 the MSSA Scholarship Foundation awarded $2000 to a student involved in environmental studies, who best represents Clint’s commitment and devotion to enhancingf the wellbeing of the environmental health of our water ways. The first Clint Waters Award recipient was Nathan Hirtle. In 2017 the award was given to University of Maryland student and Federalsburg resident, Christopher Smith. Christopher’s award was $1500. In 2018 the Dorchester Chapter of MSSA (later to become Mid-Shore Fishing Club) awarded it own award in Clint’s name to Rose Z. Adelizzi of Washington College. Rose’s award was $2000.
In 2019, the Mid-Shore Fishing Club has entered into a partnership with the University of Maryland where we will provide scholarship funding for a local student studying marine/environmental sciences. The University will administer the fund and will select a recipient. The scholarship award will be in the amount of $2000 and we have agreed to this arrangement for at least 5 years. Jessie Long is our first scholarship recipient of the Clint Waters Scholarship fund given by the Mid-Shore Fishing Club. Jessie is a Crisfield resident and was a 2013 graduate from the University of Maryland with a degree in Environmental Studies. She is working on her masters (2nd year ). Her study is Oyster Aquaculture. Her thesis is based on what bottom conditions are best for growing oysters and how to rehabilitate the bottom to achieve those conditions in the most cost effective way. Here’s a photo of Jessie and Harry Miller at the award ceremony in College Park.
2019 Recepient Jessie Long
2021 Recipient Lexy McCarty
Clint Waters Memorial Scholarship Recipients
MSSA
2016 Nathan Hirtle
2017 Christopher Smith
2018 Rose Z Adelizzi
Mid-Shore Fishing Club
2019 Jessie Long
2021 Alexandra McCarty