An application for 700 oyster cages in the vicinity of Milford Haven would help cultivate job growth in the seafood business, but that hasn’t prevented controversy from being dredged up in the form of multiple formal protests by Gwynn’s Island residents.

The application to the Virginia Marine Resources Commission is being submitted by Kevin Wade of J&W Seafood of Deltaville and Island Seafood of Gwynn’s Island.

Wade’s proposal details a 5.5-acre area where there would be 17 rows of cages in three 200-foot sections, according to the application filed with the VMRC.

Water depth at the site ranges from 6-10 feet and would be accessed from nearby Island Seafood.

Seafloor anchors in the form of augers with top loops will be required as part of the project and Wade stated in his application that “Drilling of the seafloor anchors will be the only disturbance of the bottom.”

The total project is expected to cost Wade $100,000 in materials, labor and...