Chesapeake Bay News

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Inland Fisheries Division has assembled a team of engineers, biologists and anglers to develop a largemouth bass improvement strategy for the Choptank River, which has seen a decline in black bass reproduction in recent years.

“There are far fewer adults and juveniles in the Choptank River than there were 10 years ago,” says DNR tidal Bass manager Joseph Love. “There are a lot of possible reasons for that. We’re trying to focus on one of the most important reasons that the population seems to be struggling, and that’s reproduction.”

The first step of the program includes the temporary installation of nesting boxes, which will provide sanctuary for the fry. Male bass usually build and guard nests so juvenile fish may survive and grow. However, the persistent flow of runoff silt from the cleared properties that surround the upper Choptank has impaired the deep water nesting areas, leaving just the shallow spots as suitable nesting habitat. These shallow spots can make juveniles more vulnerable to predators, such as herons, ospreys, and other birds.

Maryland Bass Federation volunteers and DNR staff are working together to build wooden nesting boxes for placing this month. This experiment will begin in the Watts Creek area. It’s important that anglers and other boaters remain aware of these boxes so they can be left alone and, as tempting as it may be, it’s important for anglers to avoid fishing for the protective males that are guarding these nests. If the program is successful, DNR will expand the program to other parts of the river.

DNR is also working with the State Highway Administration and local residents to temporarily stock local ponds near the river with bass ready to spawn. Once these fish have reproduced, they will be returned to the river, leaving offspring behind to feast on plankton and grow in the absence of large predators until they are big enough to fend for themselves.

Additionally, DNR’s long-term bass stocking program will add more than half a million fry and fingerlings to the Choptank River system over the next ten years.

“Stocking of largemouth bass is absolutely necessary— especially in the Choptank and Chester Rivers,” said DNR Eastern Regional Manager Richard Schaefer.

The Largemouth Bass Choptank River Initiative is a partnership of DNR Division of Inland Fisheries, Maryland Bass Federation Nation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Maryland State Highway Administration, and the residents of Greensboro and Denton, Md.

source: DNR press release

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Division of Inland Fisheries will host an open tidal bass roundtable discussion February 9 from 2– 5 p.m. in the C-1 conference room of the Tawes State Office Building, 580 Taylor Avenue in Annapolis, MD.

During the forum, scientists will present recent findings for largemouth bass populations in the Chesapeake Bay’s rivers such as the Potomac, Choptank, Nanticoke, and Upper Bay tributaries.

DNR officials will also present a review of procedures for tournament directors, including fish release guidelines and procedures, as well as tips for angler behavior and fish handling.

Also on the agenda is an overview of upcoming projects including a new radio tagging program, which will allow DNR biologists to track electronically tagged largemouth bass and assess the effectiveness of existing fish sanctuaries. In compliance with the radio tagging program it is important that bass anglers carefully revive and release a tagged fish in the same waters in which it was caught so the fish will continue to perform normally. DNR biologists will also discuss the ongoing nest box program—an effort to establish discreet refuges suitable for spawning in areas that don’t offer ideal conditions for reproduction.

The final hour of the meeting will be dedicated to questions and answers from stakeholders.

Those interested in attending or who want more information should contact DNR Fisheries Tidal Bass Manager Joe Love at jlove@dnr.state.md.us or 410-260-8257.

source: DNR press release

The Board of Public Works approved the naming of the Choptank River Fishing Pier in Dorchester County in honor of Bill Burton, a reporter, writer and fisherman who has for more than 50 years chronicled outdoor opportunities for Maryland citizens. The Bill Burton Fishing Pier State Park offers a perfect tribute to Bill’s life and work – the pier is a destination fishing sport for anglers, and a popular access point for many working families of Maryland – and he was instrumental in preserving the Choptank River Bridge for a fishing pier when the new bridge was constructed.

Bill’s commitment to the promotion, sustainability and prosperity of fishing and hunting in Maryland is unquestioned by those that know him, especially during the past two years as he has continued to write professionally while fighting cancer. Despite many physical setbacks, he continues to fish and write about fishing, hunting and the great outdoors. In April, Burton was inducted into the Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association Hall of Fame. The year’s Maryland Fishing Challenge also celebrates Bill’s life and career.

source: DNR press release