Chesapeake Bay News

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Boatyard Bar & Grill will co-host the Bounty of the Bay Dinner from 6 to10 p.m. on Tuesday, February 28 in Annapolis.

“The Bounty of the Bay Dinner is a celebration of Maryland Seafood and our State’s watermen,” said DNR Secretary John Griffin. “By supporting local watermen, farmers and restaurants, not only are we are supporting our State’s economy, but our food doesn’t have to travel far to get our table, which means fewer carbon emissions and a fresher product.”

Through The Bounty of the Bay, DNR and its partners are working to highlight the State’s down-home delicacies and the hardworking men and women behind them. Dinner will include the standard Maryland fare, but also highlight overlooked dishes such as yellow perch.

The dinner comes on the heels of the successful From the Bay, For the Bay Dine Out, which took place in early October. More than 170 restaurants from Pennsylvania to Virginia donated $1 from every dinner Maryland seafood dinner sold during that week to the Oyster Recovery Partnership, a non-profit organization working to rebuild the Chesapeake Bay’s native oyster population. DNR, the Oyster Recovery Partnership and the participating restaurants raised more than $20,000 to help restore Maryland’s native oyster.

The Bounty Of The Bay Dinner will include a raw bar and a five-course meal featuring Maryland oysters, crab meat, striped bass, and yellow perch. Tickets will be limited to the first 125 guests who make a reservation. The dinner is $49 per ticket and includes all food, tax and gratuity.

To RSVP or for more information call the Boatyard Bar & Grill at 410-216-6206.

source: MD DNR

Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recently released the results from 2011 From the Bay, For the Bay Dine Out. Through a collaborative partnership among regional restaurants, DNR and the Oyster Recovery Partnership (ORP), the week-long celebration raised $20,240 to support Chesapeake Bay oyster restoration.

More than 170 restaurants in Maryland, Washington D.C., Delaware, Pennsylvania and Virginia participated in the promotion, which took place October 2-9, 2011. The restaurants donated $1 from every Maryland seafood dinner sold during the week; the money is being donated to ORP to support oyster restoration efforts.

Top participating restaurants included the Boatyard Bar & Grill in Annapolis, Woodberry Kitchen and Ryleigh’s Oyster Bar in Baltimore, and Matchbox Restaurants in Washington, DC. Together they donated $5,626.

ORP’s oyster restoration activities include collecting, aging, cleaning oyster shells and planting spat (baby oysters), on the oyster shells. The spat is produced by the University of Maryland, Center for Environmental Science Horn Point Hatchery.

The Oyster Recovery Partnership’s most publically-recognized program – the region’s oyster Shell Recycling Alliance – is made up of nearly 100 restaurants, caterers and seafood distributors from the mid-Atlantic region, as well as citizen volunteers who collect donated used oyster shells from these businesses to aid in restoring the Chesapeake Bay.

The Shell Recycling Alliance has quickly grown to provide 15 percent of Maryland’s shell needs at current oyster production levels, prolonging the State’s limited shell reserves. For more information on the Oyster Recovery Partnership, visit oysterrecovery.org.

source: MD DNR

Annapolis Seafood Market has partnered with the Oyster Recovery Partnership (ORP) to collect used oyster shells from their stores and participating restaurants to help promote the expansion of oyster beds in the Chesapeake Bay. As part of their program, Annapolis Seafood Market will display educational signage inside each store for their customers to learn how they can participate in this important recycling effort.

Annapolis Seafood Market utilizes five-gallon buckets at each of their locations to collect used oyster shells. During their normal delivery routes, drivers drop the empty buckets, pick up the filled ones then return them to Annapolis Seafood Market’s Distribution Center in Annapolis where they are transferred to a 400-bushel shell collection container.

ORP and its partners collect the shells weekly and transport them to the Horn Point Oyster Hatchery near Cambridge, Maryland where they begin the drying and aging process. Later in the process, young oyster spat are allowed to attach to old shells and re-planted to help repopulate the Bay’s oyster population.

Nearly 100 restaurants and catering companies currently participate in the Shell Recycling Alliance.

For more information visit http://www.oysterrecovery.org/

source:  Oyster Recovery Partnership

Chesapeake Bay deadrise workboat

A variety of icons represent the Chesapeake Bay region. Instantly recognizable, these images have strong cultural ties with the people that live and work on the water and in nearby communities.

Seafood is closely intertwined with Chesapeake Bay culture. Blue crabs, oysters, clams, rockfish and other seafood are traditional icons of the estuary and its communities.

Closely associated with Chesapeake Bay seafood are a number of boats, including Chesapeake Bay skipjacks, deadrise workboats, oyster buyboats, and flat bottomed crabbing skiffs.

Waterfowl such as Canada geese, snow geese, brant and a several species of ducks have long been recognized as icons of the Chesapeake Bay region. Blue herons, egrets and other shorebirds are also familiar symbols of the region.

In the Chesapeake Bay, ospreys and bald eagles are popular icons. These large birds of prey are famous for their ability to catch fish and other creatures. Both species have returned to the Chesapeake in large numbers after periods of near-extinction.

Several songbirds are associated with the Chesapeake Bay. Some are state birds, mascots or have cultural significance in the region. Songbird icons of the Chesapeake Bay region include the Baltimore oriole (Maryland state bird), northern cardinal (Virginia state bird), Prothonatary warbler, and red-winged blackbird.

Artists of the Chesapeake Bay often incorporate local seafood, wildlife, boats and other icons in their work. Art forms include working duck and goose decoys, model boats, sculptures, carvings, photographs, original paintings, prints, or other artwork.

For Chesapeake Bay enthusiasts, an extensive collection of Chesapeake Bay artwork is available at North America online store.

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

Virginia and Maryland fishery managers  have released results of the 2011 Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey.  The study found 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.

Overall crab abundance, however, declined due to this past winter’s deep freeze that killed as many as 31 percent of Maryland’s adult crabs, compared to about 11 percent in 2010.

At 460 million crabs, the Chesapeake Bay’s blue crab population is at its second highest level since 1997, and nearly double the record low of 249 million in 2007. And, for watermen across the Bay, the unusually high crab abundance last year translated into a harvest of more than 89 million pounds — the highest since 1993.

Commenting on the winter kill,  Steven G. Bowman, Commissioner of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission remarked: “We cannot control the weather. It was a harsh winter and crab mortality was higher than normal. In fact, it was the worst we’ve seen since 1996.”

“This drop in abundance should be viewed as a speed bump in our stock rebuilding program, and just means it will take a bit longer to get to where we want to be with a stabilized crab stock of high abundance,” Commissioner Bowman added.” Some stock management challenges remain, but the evidence shows we’re going in the right direction.”

According to the survey, 254 million adult crabs survived the bitter cold winter in the Chesapeake, above the current population target for the third year in a row. This marks the first time since the early 1990s that the Bay has seen three consecutive years with the adult population was above the target (200 million crabs) and the harvest was below the target of 46 percent.

Estimates of abundance are developed separately for young of the year crabs, mature female crabs, and adult male crabs. Together, these groups of crabs will support the 2011 fishery and produce the next generation of crabs

In 2008, Maryland, Virginia and the Potomac River Fisheries Commission took 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.

“The coordinated management of blue crabs since 2008 clearly demonstrates the conservation gains that can be achieved when Chesapeake Bay jurisdictions act collectively toward a common vision – in this case a healthy blue crab population and sustainable fishery, said Peyton Robertson, director of the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office.

In September 2008, NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service responded to Virginia’s and Maryland’s request for disaster assistance funding for watermen impacted by the declining blue crab population.

The primary assessment of the Bay’s blue crab population is conducted annually by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS).  Since 1990, the survey has employed crab dredges to sample blue crabs at 1,500 sites throughout the Chesapeake Bay from December through March. By sampling during winter when blue crabs are buried in the mud and stationary, scientists can develop, with good precision, estimates of the number of crabs present in the Bay.

“The overall crab abundance is down a bit from what it was last year at this time, but let’s keep that in context. We saw a huge bay-wide harvest in 2010, the largest since the early 1990s, and despite that the stock abundance continues to be higher than we’ve seen in many, many years,” Travelstead said.

source: Virginia Marine Resources Commission

Six junior chefs from Maryland competed for top honors in the 4th annual Junior Chefs Rockfish Cooking Contest.  The event, which was sponsored by the Maryland Department of Agriculture’s Seafood Marketing Program and the Sea Grant programs of the universities of Maryland and Delaware, took place on Jan. 29 as part of the 2011 East Coast Commercial Fisherman’s and Aquaculture Trade Exposition in Ocean City.

The contest was part of the Maryland Rockfish Celebration, which is also taking place in Maryland restaurants and retail markets through the end of February.

The following are the results from each division:

Kids Division – Ages 7-12

1st Place: Amelia DiPietro, 10, Timonium, Md.
Amelia’s Devil Made Me Do It Stuffed Rockfish Fillets

2nd Place:  Adriana Maurer, 10, Galestown, Md.
Fancy Rockfish

3rd Place: Jack DiPietro, 12, Timonium, Md.
Jack’s Rockin Rockfish Cakes

Junior Division – Ages 13-17

1st Place: Julie Ansorge, 16, Olney, Md.
Rockfish Ravioli with Pesto Sauce

2nd Place: Brian Miles, Jr., 16, Burtonsville, Md.
Mexicali Rockfish

3rd Place: Mason Mauerr, 16, Galestown, Md.
“Off the Hook” Rockfish

All participants received a plaque and cash prizes of $200 for first place, $100 for second place, and $50 for third place. The winning recipe for each category follow:

Amelia’s Devil Made Me Do It Stuffed Rockfish Filets
Amelia DiPietro, 10, Timonium, Md.

2 pounds rockfish fillet
dash paprika
1 roasted red pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine to taste
1 cup cold water
4 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 lemon
1 package frozen corn
4 tablespoons butter
1 diced red pepper
1 diced green pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Stuffing/Wet Mixture:
1 pound fresh lump crab meat
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped chives
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons salad mustard
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

TO MAKE THE STUFFING: Mix all wet ingredients together to make a wet mixture. In a separate bowl, add crab meat, chopped fresh chives, salt and pepper and toss lightly. Add wet mixture and gently mix together.

TO STUFF ROCKFISH: Place one rockfish fillet on pan, top with deviled crab meat mixture. Take another rockfish fillet and slice lengthwise in the middle as to make a place for the stuffing to show through. Top rockfish with roasted pepper slices and sprinkle with paprika in a frying pan. Add dry white wine, cold water and melted butter and lemon slices. Add rockfish, cover, and cook until done.

Rockfish Ravioli with Pesto Sauce
Julie Ansorge, 16, Olney, Md.

2 pounds rockfish fillets
homemade pasta (below)
homemade pesto (below)
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
salt/pepper
1 egg
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup orange bell pepper
parsley
basil leaf for garnish

Pasta Ingredients:
4 large eggs
1/4 cup water
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Pesto Sauce Ingredients:
2 cups fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons pine nuts
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons softened butter

PASTA PREPARATION: Place eggs, water, flour and salt in mixer bowl. With flatbeater, mix for 30 seconds on speed 2. Exchange beater with dough hook and knead for two minutes on speed two. Remove dough from bowl and hand knead one to two minutes.

Process into sheets with rollers. (Contestant’s dish had ravioli approximately 3 to 4 inches across.)

Pan fry rockfish in olive oil and garlic. Set aside to make pesto.

PESTO PREPARATION: Put basil, olive oil, pine nuts and garlic in food processor and mix at high speed. Add cheese and butter and process just enough to incorporate into the basil mix. Before spooning over the dish, mix in 1 tablespoon of the hot pasta water if necessary for thinning.

RAVIOLI ASSEMBLY: Combine ricotta, egg and parmesan. Add orange bell pepper and parsley to ricotta mixture. Cut rockfish into 1-inch pieces and add to ricotta mixture.

Place about 2 tablespoons of mixture onto a sheet of pasta dough. Place another sheet of pasta on top and seal ravioli. Boil ravioli for 4-5 minutes. Place four ravioli on a plate. Pour or drizzle pesto sauce on top. Garnish with basil leaf.

source: Maryland Department of Agriculture press release

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.

Proposed rules regulating the advertising of “local” foods have been published in the Maryland Register for public comment. The regulations were drafted by MDA as part of a law which seeks to bring clarity to consumers as to what constitutes local.

“With the increased interest in buying local and the current lack of agreement on defining local, we feel it is paramount that consumers have the information they need to make informed decisions about their food purchases,” said Agriculture Secretary Buddy Hance.  “If advertising a food product as ‘local’, the proposed regulations will require businesses to disclose the origin of their product and consumers can make their own determination if a food advertised as ‘local’ meets their standard.”

The law authorizes the Secretary to regulate the use of the terms “local” or “locally grown” when used to advertise agricultural and seafood products.  It aims to support Maryland farmers and provide transparency to consumers interested in purchasing local foods by informing Marylanders about their local foods purchases.

In recent years, interest in locally produced foods has surged, leading to the rapid growth of farmer’s markets, and the appearance of Maryland products in restaurants and grocery stores.  However, there has been little agreement as to the definition of “local” foods.  A task force of farmers, retail representatives, consumer advocates, and other interested stakeholders provided input for the proposal.

The 2010 Policy Choices Survey by the University of Baltimore Schaefer Center for Public Policy found that 78 percent of Marylanders are more likely to buy produce that is identified as having been grown by a Maryland farmer.

source:  Maryland Department of Agriculture

Maryland has announced that its new shellfish aquaculture financing program will be accepting a second round of applications between January 2 and January 31, 2011. The program received 16 applications totaling more than $1.3 million during the first round, which closed on November 30.

There is a total of $2.2 million currently available for the program, which is a cooperative effort among the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA), the University of the Maryland Sea Grant Extension (UME) and the Maryland Agricultural and Resource-Based Industry Development Corporation (MARBIDCO).

“We are very pleased with the original response to this program, which we created to provide affordable financing to watermen and other individuals starting or expanding commercial shellfish aquaculture operations,” said Governor O’Malley. “This second application period will allow those who were unable to meet the original deadline another opportunity to participate.”

The new shellfish aquaculture loan program is a subsidized program with principal payments returning to a revolving fund to support additional shellfish aquaculture funding needs in the future. The loan program offers partial loan forgiveness for borrowers meeting certain performance conditions. MARBIDCO is pricing the loans at a fixed annual interest rate not to exceed 4.5 percent. A Shellfish Aquaculture Financing Committee, including representatives from DNR, MDA, UME, a Maryland farm credit association, and MARBIDCO, has been established to evaluate applications and proposed business plans.

As with the first round of funding, MARBIDCO and DNR intend to give priority to applicants who will begin shellfish production operations in 2011. Those who plan shellfish production operations in 2011 must hold a DNR shellfish aquaculture lease, or must have applied to DNR for a shellfish aquaculture lease by no later than 5:00 p.m., January 31, 2010.

More than two-thirds of the funding for the program comes from a federal blue crab fishery disaster allocation for Maryland. The National Marine Fisheries Service award, which was requested by Governor O’Malley and advocated for by Senator Mikulski and Maryland’s congressional delegation in 2008, has supported a variety of watermen work programs as well as a program to retire inactive commercial limited crab catcher licenses. Additional funds are being provided by DNR to supplement the federal funding.

To begin the application process, interested parties may contact Karl Roscher of the Maryland Aquaculture Coordinating Office (MDA) at 410-841-5724. An application and aquaculture business planning template are available at www.dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/oysters/industry/funding.asp.

source: MD DNR press release