Chesapeake Bay News

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recently announced a statewide moratorium on the harvest of river herring (blueback and alewife herring).

The moratorium follows a 93 percent drop in commercial river herring landings along the Atlantic Coast since 1985. The Maryland commercial harvest of river herring has been falling since the early 1970s when the yearly average was about 700,000 pounds. From 2005 to 2010 the average was just 35,200 pounds.

Prior to the collapse of river herring populations, both species supported fisheries of significant socio-economic value. Maryland is one of several states that are taking action to restore river herring.

River herring and other fish species that travel between Atlantic Coast states from Maine to Florida are managed cooperatively by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC).

Every state from Maine to Florida was required to implement a harvest moratorium by January 1, 2012, unless sustainability of their fishery was demonstrated through State-specific management plans.

The new regulations affect bait shops as well as anglers that possess herring for use as bait. Fishermen in possession of river herring as bait will need to have a receipt indicating where the herring was purchased. This will allow bait shops to sell, and fishermen to possess, river herring for bait that was harvested from a State whose fishery remains open, as an ASMFC approved sustainable fishery.

States with open river herring fisheries include New York, Maine, New Hampshire, South Carolina and North Carolina.

For more information, visit dnr.state.md.us/fisheries.

source: MD DNR

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will host two open houses in October to present proposed commercial striped bass regulatory and administrative changes. During the open houses, the public will be given opportunities for questions and comments.

The proposed changes specifically deal with the filing of inaccurate reports by check stations/individual fishermen and illegal application of striped bass tags.

Participants will be able to talk one-on-one with DNR Fisheries Service staff, and register comments on the proposed changes. The public is invited to arrive at any time during the event and spend as much time as desired.

Public comments may also be submitted via fax at (410) 260-8310, by email to fisheriespubliccomment@dnr.state.md.us.

The public comment period runs through October 24. Final administrative and regulatory changes are scheduled to go into effect on on November 28, 2011.

The proposed regulatory and administrative changes are available at http://dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/regulations/proposedregulations.asp

The open houses are scheduled as follows:

Tuesday, October 4 from 3 to 8 p.m.
BG Louis G. Smith Armory, 7111 Ocean Gateway, Easton, Md.
Thursday, October 6 from 3 to 8 p.m.
Earleigh Heights Volunteer Fire Company, 161 Ritchie Highway, Severna Park, Md.

source: Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Virginia Marine Resources Commissioner Steven G. Bowman has temporarily lifted the time-of-day restrictions on the commercial harvest of crabs, in order to give crabbers plenty of time to get their gear out of the water before Hurricane Irene hits Virginia. The powerful storm is expected to make landfall in Virginia on Sunday.

Commercial crabbing hours at this time of year are limited to 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. Those daily harvest hour limits will not apply for Thursday Aug. 25 through Saturday Aug. 27, 2011.

Lifting the time of day restrictions on the commercial harvest of crabs is permitted under Regulation 270, Section 30: “D. The lawful daily time periods for the commercial harvest of crabs by crab pot or peeler pot may be rescinded by the Commissioner of Marine Resources when he determines that a pending weather event is sufficient cause for the removal of crab pots from the tidal waters of the Commonwealth.”

source: Virginia Marine Resources Commission

An important new scientific assessment of the Chesapeake Bay’s blue crab stock has been released by the federal government, setting higher abundance thresholds and crab population targets that will dictate how the agency manages the fisheries in the years to come.

A new scientific assessment of the Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab population indicates significantly more work needs to be done to fully rebuild the stock to sustainable levels. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration assessment,  although the stock has increased substantially in response to three years of rebuilding efforts by Virginia, Maryland and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission, the stock was more depleted than originally believed and will take longer to rebuild than had been expected.

The assessment, which sets a new overfishing threshold as well as a new safe abundance level for female crabs, took three years to complete and represents the best available science on the stock’s reproductive capabilities, lifespan, gender and size distributions. The assessment underwent rigorous scientific scrutiny in a peer review by Dr. Julian Addison of France, Dr. Cathy Dichmont of Australia and Dr. Billy Ernst of Chile.

Until now, fishery managers used an interim target of 200 million total adult crabs in the bay as the threshold of a healthy stock and considered overfishing to occur if 53 percent of adult (age 1+) crabs were harvested in a year. Regulations were established to meet these benchmarks, which were based on 2005 bay-wide crab assessment data.

The new stock assessment sets a new healthy-species abundance level of 215 million female crabs, with overfishing occurring if 34 percent of the female crabs are harvested in a year.  Put into context, this means that fishery managers have only come close to achieving this level of female abundance three times over the past 22 years, in 2010, 1993 and 1991.

These more stringent assessments of the stock’s health will allow fishery managers to set more precise female harvest limits in order to fully rebuild the stock.  Virginia, Maryland and the PRFC remain committed to working together to rebuild the bay’s crab population to meet the new female population threshold and abundance target.

In September the Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee will meet to consider the new assessment, examine data from the past two years and provide management recommendations to Maryland, Virginia and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission.

The bay-wide crab harvest in 2010 was in the 90 million-pound range, confirming that a healthy harvesting industry can coexist with regulations designed to rebuild a self-sustaining, healthy blue crab population.

Through a historic collaboration in 2008, Maryland, Virginia and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission took strong, coordinated action to reduce harvest pressure on female crabs by 34 percent. At that time, scientists deemed conservation measures necessary as blue crab suffered near historic lows in spawning stock.

“Overall, crabs in the bay are doing well. Implementing recommendations developed in the stock assessment, like focusing fishing regulations on female crabs, will help even more,” said Dr. Tom Miller, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, lead author of the stock assessment.

The stock assessment can be viewed in its entirety at http://hjort.cbl.umces.edu/crabs/Assessment.html

source: Virginia Marine Resources Commission/Maryland Department of Natural Resources

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) fisheries service will increase the commercial crab daily catch limits for female crabs this fall. DNR fisheries managers made the decision after they determined that the increase will have no negative impact on rebuilding the blue crab population.

For 2011 DNR will increase daily female catch limits between September 1 and November 10. A crabber with a Limited Crab Catcher License will be allowed to land 12 bushels a day; an increase of two bushels over the same period last year. Crabbers holding more extensive licenses will see comparable increases based on their license levels.

This decision comes on the heels of the 2011 Blue Crab Winter Dredge survey, which showed that the Chesapeake Bay’s blue crab population is at its second highest level since 1997 and well above the target for the third year in a row, setting the stage for a Bay-wide recovery. The results of the survey indicate

that management measures put into place regulating the female blue crab population in 2008 are continuing to pay dividends and harvest levels have been below the established 46 percent target level for two consecutive years.

All other commercial and recreational crabbing regulations for 2011, in both the Chesapeake Bay and Maryland’s coastal bays, will remain the same. Commercial crabbers in the Chesapeake Bay will continue to abide by strict daily female catch limits, and the commercial harvest of female crabs is prohibited June 1-15 and November 11- December 15.

source: MD DNR

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR)has announced that it is offering to buy and permanently retire Unlimited Tidal Fish (TFL) and Crab Harvester (CB) commercial fishing licenses on a voluntary basis from holders who may or may not be currently active in commercial crabbing or fishing.

The first phase of the effort to reduce latent crabbing pressure was a voluntary DNR buyback of commercial Limited Crab Catcher (LCC) licenses which ran from July 2009 until March 11, 2011. The effort resulted in the purchase and retirement of nearly 700 licenses.

On March 1, 2011, DNR mailed buyback information packets including bid forms to all TFL and CB license holders who may choose to accept a certain base price or take a chance that there will be funds available at the end of the program to be paid a higher price. The base and optional high prices are based on license types. The offers range from a base price of $4,000 for a 300-pot CB license to a high potential price of $12,000 for a TFL with a 900 crab pot authorization. License holders may also choose to pass on the offer.

According to DNR, The agency is not planning any action that would impact individuals who choose not to participate in this program.

DNR will buy all licenses offered at the base price first. If funds remain after the initial phase, DNR will randomly select, in a public drawing, licenses to be purchased at the higher price.

TFL and CB license holders interested in selling their licenses to DNR must return their bid forms to the postmarked by Friday April 15, 2011 in order to participate.

Buyback program information, bid forms, and the price structure are posted on the DNR website at http://www.dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/commercial/index.asp

Interested license holders may also call the crab hotline at 410-260-8286 for more information.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is ending the Limited Crab Catcher (LCC) commercial license buyback program after retiring nearly 700 LCC licenses in about a year and a half. DNR is no longer offering to purchase LCC licenses as of March 11, 2011.

The program reduced the number of commercial crabbing licenses in order to ensure effective management of a sustainable blue crab fishery. Last year, DNR’s winter dredge survey showed a dramatic 60 percent increase in Chesapeake Bay’s blue crab population.

DNR bought back LCC licenses for $2,360 beginning in August 2009. Funding for the program came from a Federal Blue Crab Fishery Disaster Grant. The funds were issued by NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service.

Any LCC license holder wishing to sell their license to the state may do so at any DNR Licensing Center until 4:30 p.m. on March 11. No paperwork claiming to accept DNR’s offer to buy an LCC license will be valid after this time.

source: MD DNR

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will reopen the February striped bass gill net fishery on Friday, February 25, and Monday, February 28; all normal harvest restrictions will remain in effect. An estimated 200,000 pounds of the State’s February quota remains to be harvested.

The fishery has been closed since February 4, after 10 tons of illegally captured rockfish were confiscated from the Chesapeake Bay south of Kent Island. In all, 12.5 tons of illegally captured rockfish have been found by Natural Resources Police in February.

Maryland’s commercial striped bass fishery is managed on a quota system, in cooperation with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission; commercial and recreational restrictions are used to keep the harvest at or below a target fishing mortality rate.  Maryland’s commercial gill net quota for February is 354,318 pounds; the State’s annual commercial quota is 2 million pounds.

“During these two days, Natural Resources Police operations will be stepped up significantly through increased patrols, additional staff at check stations, and the use of our new electronic monitoring capabilities,” said Col. George Johnson, Natural Resources Police Superintendent.

On February 1, Natural Resources Police confiscated the first of four illegally anchored gill nets with more than 20,000 pounds of striped bass near Bloody Point Light, south of Kent Island in the Chesapeake Bay, forcing the immediate closure of the fishery. On February 11, NRP located additional illegally anchored gill nets containing 3,879 pounds of rockfish – nets officers believe were set after the shut down of the fishery on February 4.  Legal sized fish were sold to wholesalers and under and over-sized fish were donated to help feed citizens in need.

Maryland’s DNR is now offering a $30,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the striped bass poaching activities uncovered on January 31-February 1. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Chesapeake Bay Savers, Maryland Charter Boat Association, Maryland Coastal Conservation Association, Maryland Saltwater Sportfisherman’s Association Maryland Watermen’s Association, and private citizens have all contributed toward the reward.

source: MD DNR

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Fisheries Service will launch a commercial shellfish tagging program in August 2011 to meet U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) national public safety requirements. DNR will host three open houses in November to discuss the elements of the program and to solicit ideas from watermen and aquaculturists about the development and implementation of this important program.

Tagging shellfish will allow public health officials to trace back to a source if an illness is caused by eating shellfish. A shellfish harvesting area can be checked for water quality and other potential health concerns. DNR, the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the Maryland Department of the Environment may then take action to reduce the public risk. The tagging system will also enhance DNR’s ability to monitor the harvest and manage a sustainable fishery.

The proposed plan will require watermen to tag each bushel of shellfish in a standardized container. The tag will allow public safety officials to determine precisely where, when and by whom the shellfish were harvested.

The FDA has an informative slide show on the National Shellfish Sanitation Program online at www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm180442.htm.

Additionally, two of the open houses will include representatives from the Maryland Oyster Aquaculture Financing Program to discuss the elements and requirements for participating in an exciting new opportunity. As part of Governor Martin O’Malley’s Oyster Restoration and Aquaculture Program, $2.2 million in subsidized loans are immediately being made available for aquaculture projects. Representatives of the program will be on hand at the Annapolis (November and Princess Anne (November 22) open houses to answer general questions and to schedule appointments with interested parties to begin the business planning and application processes.

Those seeking subsidized financing for shellfish production must hold a DNR shellfish aquaculture lease or must have applied for a shellfish aquaculture lease by 5 p.m. on Monday, November 15, 2010.

Information on the Aquaculture Financing Program is available from the Maryland Department of Agriculture at (410) 841-5724 and online at www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/oysters/industry/funding.asp.

Shellfish Tagging Open House Schedule:
November 8 from 4 to 8 p.m., C-1 Conference Room, Tawes Building, 580 Taylor Ave., Annapolis
November 22 from 3 to 7 p.m., Somerset County Library, 11767 Beechwood St., Princess Anne
November 30 from 4 to 8 p.m., Queen Anne’s County Library, 121 S. Commerce St., Centreville

source: Maryland Department of Natural Resources press release

The newly-renovated Watermen’s Boat Basin at Kent Narrows was dedicated at a ceremony on October 26 in Queen Anne’s County. Local watermen unveiled a plaque presented by the 2010 Board of Queen Anne’s County Commissioners, which reads, “The Queen Anne’s County Watermen’s Boat Basin at Kent Narrows will forever preserve our local commercial fishing heritage and provide for the continued viability of an irreplaceable fleet for future generations.”

The year-long reconstruction project includes a new bulkhead, new finger piers and new electrical work, as well as new mooring piles and sheeting. The project is funded by Queen Anne’s County and Waterway Improvement Fund grants through DNR. The facility is used by both commercial watermen and recreational boaters.

source: MD DNR