Chesapeake Bay News

The 2012 Virginia Charter Boat Workshop will be held at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science on Saturday, March 10, 2012.

The workshop will focus on charter business management with sessions on fisheries management, legal issues, insurance needs, marketing and finance tips and lessons learned from current charter operators. The workshop is open to all charter and head boat operators and marina professionals.

The registration form can be found online at: http://www.vims.edu/research/units/centerspartners/map/_docs/charterboat2012.pdf

Registration cost for the workshop is $15 and will cover lunch and resource materials. The pre-registration deadline is Friday, March 2, 2012. On-site registration will be limited and will increase to $30 the day of the workshop.

source: Virginia Institute of Marine Science

The artists of the Chesapeake Bay Art Association will be offering their work for sale in time for the Holiday Season. The exhibition will be held November 12-13 inside Pembroke Mall, in Virginia Beach.

All types of artwork will be on display and for sale, from paintings and pottery to jewelry and photography. Local Girl Scouts will be offering gift wrapping during the event.

For more information on the Chesapeake Bay Art Association, visit http://www.chesapeakebayartassociation.com.

For more information on the Pre-Holiday Show, contact Linda House at 407-6280 (cell). Facebook fans can view the event by searching for “Pre-Holiday Art Show”.

Questionable conditions on the Potomac River caused a delay of the 2011 Potomac River Ramble.  The make-up date is set for Sunday October, 16 2011.

Start time: 8:00 a.m.
End time: 5:00 p.m.
Where: Meet at Shepherd University (shuttle service to just below Dam 4)
What: The 2011 Potomac River Ramble
The October make-up paddle will be contingent upon enough participants signing up.

For more information, please visit www.potomacriver.org.

The Maryland Lighthouse Challenge will be held September 17-18, 2011 from 8:00 am – 6:00 pm, both days.

Join the U.S. Lighthouse Society Chesapeake Chapter and the lighthouse organizations of Maryland as they host this educational and fun-filled weekend celebrating the lighthouses of Maryland.

Tour any number of the lighthouse attractions along the Challenge route and receive a special souvenir at each, with a specially designed “completer” souvenir for those who visit all.

For the 2011 Challenge, special guests will be appearing at various Lighthouses.

Mark your calendars now and continue to check www.cheslights.org for Challenge information and updates as they become available.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is partnering with dozens of restaurants in Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, Washington D.C. and Pennsylvania to promote Maryland seafood for a week-long celebration called “From the Bay, For the Bay Dine Out.”

The promotion will run October 2–9, 2011, with more than 150 restaurants already committed to participate. DNR anticipates that more than 300 total restaurants will take part in the celebration.

During the promotion, restaurants will feature unique presentations of fresh Maryland Seafood. Each restaurant has agreed to donate a dollar from every Maryland seafood dinner sold during the week to the Oyster Recovery Partnership, a non-profit organization working to rebuild the Chesapeake Bay’s native oyster population.

“October is prime time for Maryland seafood with many delicious fish and shellfish in season, including striped bass, blue crabs, oysters, flounder, dogfish, bluefish, lobsters and scallops,” said Tom O’Connell, DNR Fisheries Service director. “One of the key components of our From the Bay, For the Bay celebration is to encourage people from all over the Chesapeake Bay Watershed to try and enjoy the delicious seafood our State has to offer.”

For more information please visit dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/fromthebay/

source: Maryland Department of Natural Resources

For 2011, Magothy River Day will be held on June 12th. Magothy River Day 2011 is a celebration of the discovery of the Magothy River 403 years ago by Captain John Smith.

Boaters are encouraged to gather at the Dobbins Island Anchorage around 12 Noon.  At 1PM, the Nautical Wheelers, a JimmyBuffett cover band will play an On-Water Concert lasting until 5PM.  Last year was a great
day and 2011 should be even better.

The Magothy River Association works to achieve cleaner, healthier waters and greater public access. For details, see: http://www.h2006.net/MRA25

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is holding listening sessions and conducting webinars to inform interested parties about the Clean Boating Act and receive public input. The listening sessions will be held in Annapolis, Md. on March 18 and April 29.

The EPA is seeking public comment from boaters and other stakeholders to help develop proposed regulations, as required by the 2008 Clean Boating Act, to reduce water pollution and the spread of invasive species in the nation’s rivers, lakes and other water bodies. As an alternative to permits required for commercial vessels, the act directs EPA to develop and promulgate management practices for recreational vessels.

The important input received through this process will help guide the development of proposed regulations to mitigate adverse effects from recreational boat discharges, such as bilgewater, graywater and deck runoff, that may contain substances harmful to water quality or spread invasive species.

The Clean Boating Act directs EPA to take steps to limit the impact of pollution and the spread of invasive species associated with the discharge from boats. As part of the public input, EPA is also seeking information from states that already enact standards to limit the impacts of boat discharges on waterways.

Based on the important input received, EPA will seek to develop appropriate management practices and performance standards that protect waterways while also working with the U.S. Coast Guard, which will establish regulations governing the design, construction, installation and use of management practices. Implementation of these management practices will allow boaters and other water enthusiasts to continue enjoying our nation’s water bodies while protecting water quality.

More information about the Clean Boating Act: http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/lawsguidance/cwa/vessel/CBA/about.cfm

The Maryland Department of Agriculture and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources will be co-hosting a “Celebration of Maryland Seafood” at the Boatyard Bar & Grill in Annapolis on Tuesday, Feb. 22 from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m.

The purpose of the dinner is to promote Maryland’s diverse and high quality seafood from the Chesapeake Bay, Atlantic Coast and aquaculture industry through local restaurants,  grocers and other retail markets. By empowering the local seafood market, Maryland is building a sustainable fishery, reducing the industry’s carbon footprint and creating green jobs.

The evening includes a cocktail hour with raw bar and five-course meal featuring Maryland oysters, crabmeat, striped bass (rockfish) and yellow perch.

The event is hosted by the Boatyard Bar & Grill, Maryland Department of Agriculture and Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Agriculture Secretary Buddy Hance and Natural Resources Secretary  John Griffin will be featured speakers.

Tickets are $40, which includes all food, tax and gratuity, and will be limited to the first 125 to reserve their spot. Call the Boatyard Bar & Grill at 410-216-6206 to RSVP and for more information.

The annual Bay Bridge Boat Show in Stevensville, MD is scheduled to open its doors with special features April 28 – May 1, 2011.  In its twenty-ninth season, this show is recognized as the largest spring recreational boating extravaganza in the mid Atlantic.

The Marina facility has been completely renovated with high quality floating docks and a more efficient show layout. The revised exhibitor price list will allow your organization to display more boats or boating gear for less money. New show features and regional advertising are expected to attract more visitors to the show than any time in recent history.

For the 2011 show, several attractions are planned:

Delmarva Dock Dog Competition

The Delmarva Dock Dogs are the regional group of the National Dock Dogs, www.dockdogs.com.  They will compete in an above ground pool in three waves: speed retrieval, extreme vertical, and big air.  This competition will bring fun to the show for all ages.

MSSA Rockfish Tournament Weigh Station

The Maryland Saltwater Sportsfishermen’s Association and AllTackle will be adding a weigh station at the Bay Bridge Boat Show for the largest Rockfish Tournament in the Nation.  In addition the Bay Bridge Boat Show will be hosting a weekend rendezvous for the anglers. Adjacent to the weigh station will be a “fishermans pier,” which will house unique fishing boat makes.

Other Show Features

Expansive Food Court

Children’s fishing activities and demonstrations by AllTackle on the weigh station

Daily seminars co-sponsored by Chesapeake Bay Magazine and Annapolis School of Seamanship

Live entertainment at the Pool Bar & Grill

Racing hydroplanes from Kent Island Racing Association

Bay Bridge Boat Show :     April 28 – May 1, 2011.

Show Hours:

Thursday, April 28         Noon to 6pm
Friday, Saturday, April 29-30    10am – 6pm
Sunday, May 1            10am – 5pm

Tickets:

Adults $12.
Children (7-12) $4.
Under 6 Free.
Two day ticket $19

For tickets and complete details:

www.usboat.com
Phone 410-268-8828

January 11, will mark the start of the second season of Boatyard Bar & Grill and PropTalk’s popular “Anglers Night Out Fishing Flick & Tales.”

Every other Tuesday through the end of March, anglers from around the Bay will gather at the Boatyard Bar & Grill in Annapolis MD to eat, drink, and spin interesting fishing stories, fairy tales, and anecdotes.

The series features fishing movies and documentaries shot around the world shown super-size on the Boatyard’s large, high-definition projection screen. The event is held in the Boatyard Market Section with seating limited to 40, so be sure to get there early. Dinner and drinks start at 6 p.m. with specials on meatloaf and half-price bottles of wine. The feature presentation starts at 7 p.m. sharp.

The January 11 feature is “RISE,” by Confluence Films, the same producers of the popular “DRIFT” documentary shown last year during the inaugural series of Anglers Night Out events. The documentary features freshwater and saltwater fishing in locales such as Venezuela, Idaho, Florida, Alaska, New Orleans, and Patagonia.