A new Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) study revealed that bowfishing and gigging – using a pronged spear – are the most common ways northern snakehead (Chesapeake Channa) are harvested in Maryland. These methods eclipse hook-and-line, commercial, and departmental … Continued
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recently announced a two-week extension of the 2025-2026 wild oyster season. The extension is intended to help watermen make up for lost harvesting opportunities after many waterways and parts of the Chesapeake Bay … Continued
Planning and development for Maryland’s Whole Watershed Program is underway, with stormwater management, stream and marsh restoration, tree plantings, invasive species management, and many other projects advancing to help shape the state’s collective effort on targeted watershed restoration. In March … Continued
In Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, updated regulations for yellow perch will be in effect for the 2026 fishing season. In response to six years of low recruitment, Maryland reduced the limit for yellow perch caught in tidal … Continued
In December, during its annual meeting at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Executive Council approved the revised Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement. The agreement includes goals that will improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay, increase access … Continued
This fall, the largest female sturgeon in the Atlantic sturgeon gillnetting survey’s history was captured by Maryland DNR biologists. The fish was netted along Marshyhope Creek, a tributary of the Nanticoke River. Nicknamed Chessie, the large female measured just under … Continued
Recent surveys of juvenile striped bass in the Chesapeake Bay watershed found slightly improved numbers of fish for 2025. Conducted by biologists in Maryland and Virginia, the surveys included counts of juvenile striped bass and other species in waters of … Continued
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will distribute more than $12 million in grant funding from the National Park Service’s Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) for state and local projects to enhance outdoor recreation. Funds will be used … Continued
Data collected by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Old Dominion University (ODU) show an above average volume of hypoxia—waters with less than 2 mg/l of oxygen—in the Chesapeake Bay mainstem of Maryland and Virginia in early and … Continued
Underwater grass abundance in Maryland’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay fell from 38,188 acres in 2023 to 36,794 acres in 2024, according to data reviewed by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. To total acreage of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) … Continued