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
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 June 2025, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recognized Matt Foreman of Crownsville as the new state record holder for northern snakehead (Channa argus) in the state’s Invasive Division. Foreman harvested the 21.8-pound fish on the evening of … Continued
In May, results of the 2025 Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey were released by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS). The annual cooperative survey estimates the number of blue … Continued
The 2025 Maryland benchmark assessment indicates that oyster populations have grown significantly in Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay waters over the past 20 years. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science released the summary … Continued
Preliminary results of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ annual Fall Oyster Survey indicate that Chesapeake Bay oyster populations are healthy. After a remarkable year for oyster reproduction in 2023, the survey’s 2024 spatfall intensity index, a measure of reproductive … Continued
In February 2025, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recognized Thomas Dembeck Jr. of Hydes as the new state record holder for yellow perch (Perca flavescens) in the Chesapeake division. Dembeck caught the 2.3-pound, 16-inch fish on February 7 … Continued
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is launching two pilot programs in coordination with its Invasive Catfish Advisory Committee aimed at curbing the spread of blue catfish in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. Applications are now open for … Continued
A new study by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) confirms the negative impact northern snakeheads have on other fish and the ecosystem. A comparison of fish communities in the Blackwater River drainage near Cambridge before and after the … Continued
Amory Seafood in Hampton recently received a state grant through Virginia’s Blue Catfish Processing, Flash Freezing, and Infrastructure Grant Program. The $247,000 reimbursable grant will allow the company to increase its processing capacity and purchase more blue catfish from local … Continued