By KATIE NELSON
The Falmouth Enterprise
https://www.capenews.net/falmouth/news/inmates-help-with-oyster-propagation-project-at-the-dpw/article_49df0e9c-be22-11ef-af02-1fae0498f084.html
Every 30 seconds, shouts of “100” were called out by three inmates from the Barnstable County Correctional Facility who were working around a muddy folding table Wednesday morning, December 18, at the Department of Public Works garage on Gifford Street.
The inmates, Brandon Ambers, Angel Cordero and Anthony Martin, were counting oysters by the hundreds and tossing them into red storage bins. They then stacked the bins, packed them into an insulated storage trailer that will later be filled with ice, keeping the oysters chilled for the winter. As they yelled out their counts, natural resource Field Supervisor Catherine F. Poquete added the hundreds on a calculator to tally up the haul.
out 300,000 oysters were packed into the trailer by the end of the day. The oysters are stored in the freezer to protect them from the winter elements, said County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Jeffery Wiseman. In the spring, some will be redistributed for aquaculture purposes or sold to fisheries.
Under supervision from Sgt. Wiseman, directed by Falmouth’s Marine and Environmental Department personnel and with assistance from several groups of volunteers, oysters from Waquoit Bay, West Falmouth, and Great Pond were set to be packed up for the winter.
These oysters will be reintegrated into the water for aquaculture purposes between April and May next year. The shellfish naturally denitrify water bodies and help to slow coastal erosion. Some of the oysters will be sold to fisheries in other towns. The profit from those sales helps to fund the aquaculture program, said R. Charles Martinsen III, deputy director of Falmouth Marine and Environmental Services.
Mr. Ambers, Mr. Cordero and Mr. Martin are participants in the Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office Community Work Crew. Sgt. Wiseman, who works at the correctional facility, said the three men were offered the opportunity to work with the town because they meet inmate classifications, including time served, type of offense and have an exemplary behavior record.
“They’re good inmates,” Sgt. Wiseman said.
Mr. Cordero said that inmates are given the choice to accept or deny a work opportunity.
Mr. Martin said he enjoyed this work assignment and appreciated the opportunity to leave the Barnstable County Correctional Facility for a few hours.
The goal of the program, Barnstable County Sheriff Donna D. Buckley said, is to connect incarcerated individuals with skills they can utilize post-release. Sheriff Buckley said matching individuals with appropriate opportunities helps them acquire new skills to build upon as they reenter the workforce.
Other working opportunities for inmates include landscaping, carpentry, roofing, siding, simple construction, demolition, moving services and maintenance for municipalities and nonprofit organizations.
Incarcerated individuals taking part in the program are compensated for their labor with what is called “good time,” which could translate to a reduced term of imprisonment for good behavior.
After a short break for coffee and doughnuts, Mr. Cordero, Mr. Ambers, and Mr. Martin got back to work unloading a truck filled with older, bigger oysters from Great Pond ready to be stacked in the insulated storage unit.
As the workers unloaded the truck, Mr. Martin advised his coworkers to, “Go one at a time with these ones—they’re heavy.” Once the bins were unloaded, they were stacked about 5 feet high in the insulated storage unit.
The mood was jovial and laughs came easily between volunteers, workers and officials.
“I have more laughs with this crew than any other,” Mr. Martinsen said. He added that without assistance from volunteers and the sheriff’s working crew, the job would not be possible. He said his department does not have a large enough staff to handle the massive job on their own.
Student volunteers from Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical School came to help earlier in the morning, as did volunteers from AmeriCorps, and the Falmouth Rod & Gun Club. Sean McCarthy, a volunteer, said he woke up at 6 AM to be a part of the day’s work.
Working in the community helps to destigmatize incarcerated individuals, Sheriff Buckley said. Providing opportunities to learn new skills and do necessary work in the town helps to grow the inmates’ sense of pride and belonging in themselves and their community, the sheriff added.
Just before noon, the workers took off their gloves and prepared for lunch. They emptied water bottles on the folding table they were using to count and store the oysters to clean it off.
“This is our lunch table, too,” Ms. Poquete said laughing. They cleaned off the salty water and mud and got ready to enjoy a hard-earned meal with coworkers.