Fisheries Service

Recreational Fisheries Main News...

The Freshwater Institute Donates an Additional 600 Rainbow Trout

DNR received and stocked 600 rainbows from the Freshwater Institute on Nov. 12th, the fish average around one pound each. DNR staff stocked 100 fish each in Rocky Gap, Cotton Cove in Frostburg, the Lions Park Pond in Frostburg, Grantsville Pond, Glades Park in Oakland and Accident Pond. If you have any questions regarding this latest stocking please contact Ed Livengood at 301-746-8148.

Regular stocking is complete, check out the trout stocking page for locations and amounts!

Please remember to clean your gear between streams or outings to prevent moving around unwanted invaders like didymo and whirling disease. You can wash with dish soap or a 5% salt solution or use one of the convenient wader wash stations if present at your location.

 Savage River Reservoir Maintenance Update - Oct 7

The Savage Reservoir drawdown has started. Currently the flow in the river below the dam is at 105 cfs, which is certainly fishable. For current updates on the project, please see the US Army Corps of Engineers website at www.nab-wc.usace.army.mil/mapserver/ and click on NB Potomac Releases. Disruption to normal operations will continue through early spring of next year

Inspections in the fall of 2007 revealed an inoperable gate, prompting engineers to restrict normal water operations at the dam and forcing officials to seek funding for a permanent repair. Federal Economic Stimulus money made the $6 million repair possible.

Click here for FAQ's concerning the Savage River Dam Repair. Also, the Savage River Reservoir and Savage River Tailwater Fish Restoration Plan Prepared by MD DNR Inland Fisheries Service should answer a number of questions concerning status and recovery of the areas once the repairs are completed.

Anglers interested in fishing the Savage River Trophy Trout Area below the Savage River Reservoir should be aware of the following update report made by the Upper Potomac River Commission (UPRC). The UPRC personnel completed necessary annual maintenance within the Savage Reservoir Dam during the week of December 15th, and will resume fishable flows in the Savage River tailwater. The reservoir will be allowed to refill to a target level yet to be determined. Once the target elevation is achieved, releases from the dam will target 55 cubic foot per second. However, trying to maintain the target reservoir elevation may require higher releases up to 100 cubic feet per second. Anglers may call a recorded message from the Baltimore District of the Army Corps of Engineers at 410–962-7687 for current flow conditions and for the projected three day release schedule.

To view the entire current status report click here.

To read DNR's current press release regarding the dam repair please go to www.dnr.state.md.us/dnrnews/pressrelease2009/092109.asp.

Perryville Man Wins Grand Prize at Maryland Fishing Challenge Finale

On September 19th Lt. Governor Anthony Brown presented approximately $30,000 in prizes to lucky anglers, including grand prize winner David Wilhelm of Perryville, MD, this morning at the 2009 Maryland Fishing Challenge finale, . Approximately 1,000 people – including sponsors, anglers and their guests - attended the contest’s fifth annual closing ceremony held at Sandy Point State Park.

“Here in Maryland, recreational fishing is an important part of our culture, our heritage and our quality of life,” said Lt. Governor Brown. “I want to thank our generous sponsors for their support of these efforts and our anglers for continuing to make a major contribution to our state’s economy and play a significant role in the stewardship of our waterways and our aquatic life. Together we are committed to making sure fishing in Maryland remains affordable, accessible and memorable.”

Nearly 1,500 anglers from as far away as California qualified to participate in today’s grand prize drawing. As an added youth component, children participating in various fishing rodeos across the State qualified for a unique category for the chance to win a guided fishing trip.

To read up on the grand prize from Bass Pro Shops and Tracker Boats please see the entire press release regarding the Fishing Challenge Finale!.

Maryland Fisheries Service Announces 2009 Recreational Summer Flounder Regulations

The new 2009 recreational summer flounder regulations will be:

Creel and Size Limit (Split Management):
- Atlantic Ocean and Coastal Bays (3 fish @ 18 inch minimum size)
- Chesapeake Bay (1 fish @ 16.5 inch minimum size)

The 2009 recreational summer flounder season will run from April 15 until September 13.

DNR is required to reduce the 2009 recreational summer flounder catch in Maryland by 32%. This reduction is necessary to mitigate exceeding harvest targets last year. DNR believes that these regulations will achieve the required reduction in the fishery, attain the recreational harvest target of 61,000 fish and minimize the impact both on recreational anglers and businesses that rely on the summer flounder fishery.

Various options for the 2009 recreational season were approved by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and presented to the Coastal Fisheries Advisory Committee, the Sportfish Advisory Commission and the general public at an informational meeting held in Ocean City, Maryland last month. Approximately 100 people attended the meeting.

For more information, please contact Steve Doctor at 410 – 213 -1531 or Carrie Kennedy at 410-260-8295.

Fisheries Service Launches Tidal Bass Web Site

The mission of the Tidal Bass Survey team is to monitor and protect tidal populations of black bass and enhance its fishery for the State of Maryland. The team began collecting data on the distribution of largemouth bass in 1999, initial efforts started on some of the most fishery-targeted streams of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, including the Potomac River and the Choptank River. Since then, the team has refined and expanded their surveys to the Patuxent River, the Upper Bay region, the Chester River, the Nanticoke River, and the Wicomico River.

Click here to learn about our survey team and all that's being done regarding this fast growing fishery!

New Atlantic Striped Bass and Bluefish Consumption Advisories

On behalf of Maryland DNR Fisheries Service Director, Tom O'Connell:
I am writing to clarify information previously released about the consumption of striped bass and bluefish from the Atlantic coastal waters of Maryland. The Maryland Department of the Environment, along with other east coast states this week, issued a fish consumption advisory for striped bass and bluefish. This advisory only includes fish caught recreationally from the Atlantic coastal waters.

The advisory is based on levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB’s) and recommends that pregnant women, women of childbearing age, nursing mothers and children six years of age and younger not eat any striped bass or bluefish caught recreationally in the Atlantic, and the general population should not eat more than one meal per month of striped bass and one meal every other month of bluefish.

The Eastern Coastal Striped Bass and Bluefish Consumption Advisory Workgroup, of which MDE is a member, made the decision to issue a blanket advisory for all states involved. This particular advisory does not address striped bass caught in the Chesapeake Bay and its estuaries.

Maryland does have a less restrictive consumption advisory issued by MDE for striped bass in the Chesapeake Bay. It recommends size based reductions in meals per month for all consumers. For Chesapeake Bay striped bass over 28 inches, it also recommends that children avoid consumption. This reflects the current contamination values for striped bass in the Bay, but it may be updated later this year after additional fish are analyzed.

Maryland does not have an advisory in the Bay for bluefish consumption because larger bluefish tend to be found further north, and the Workgroup found that there is a positive correlation between contamination levels and size of bluefish. Maryland will be collecting and analyzing additional Chesapeake bluefish samples later this year.

The MDE advisory for the Atlantic coastal waters only covers recreationally caught fish, not commercially caught fish. The Food and Drug Administration maintains jurisdiction over commercially caught fish. Because of different risk calculations, based on the likelihood that fish are brought from more diverse sources, the FDA applies different standards. For more information on how it determines a consumption advisory, the FDA website is www.FDA.gov.

The Eastern Coastal Striped Bass and Bluefish Consumption Advisory Workgroup, was formed to develop consistent advice for consumption of recreational catch of these species which migrate between state waters. The Workgroup examined contaminant data, from state and federal sources including Maryland. The data indicates that PCB concentrations have declined since the 1980s. However, recent medical information suggests that a more restrictive consumption advisory is warranted.

If you have any questions or comments please don't hesitate to contact me at customerservice@dnr.state.md.us.

Crayfish Ban In Effect For Middle Potomac and Susquehanna River Basins

New temporary emergency regulations pertaining to the catch, possession and use as bait of crayfish became effective on July 17, 2008. These new regulations will become permanent on October 6, 2008. The regulations prohibit a person from catching any species of crayfish, using any live crayfish as bait or possessing any live crayfish while fishing in the Middle Potomac River and Susquehanna River Basins.

These changes were presented to the public at five Inland Fisheries public meetings in April 2008.

Rusty crayfish is native to portions of the Ohio River in Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee. As popular bait for game fishes, this species has been widely introduced outside of its native range. Bait bucket introductions of rusty crayfish have been documented in at least 14 other states and portions of Canada. All of these introductions have had devastating effects on the invaded ecosystems. Rusty crayfish can eliminate native crayfishes and can reduce the quality and quantity of habitat available to other stream species. Rusty crayfish feed heavily on mayflies, stoneflies, and other invertebrates that are important food sources to stream fishes. This species also consumes fish eggs and can destroy aquatic vegetation beds. These habits can impact game fish populations.

In 2006, MDNR in anticipation of future invasive species issues, banned the rusty crayfish, among other invasives, from the state of Maryland. In 2007, the rusty crayfish was discovered in the upper Monocacy River and in the Susquehanna River above Conowingo Dam. Further surveys of these areas determined that the outbreak is contained in these two areas. It is believed to have been unintentionally introduced by anglers as discarded bait dumped into Pennsylvania tributaries to these rivers, and has since spread south across the state line. This invasive species has the potential to cause profound changes to Maryland’s streams and rivers. MDNR biologists are concerned that the spread of this species may be hastened by additional bait bucket introductions in Maryland. The new regulation aims to prevent the inadvertent or intentional movement of this species into other Maryland watersheds.

Maryland Volunteer Angler Surveys

Recreational Anglers, here is your chance to participate directly in fisheries management. Help MD DNR characterize recreational catch and harvest by submitting data from your fishing trip.

The Maryland Fisheries Service has various Volunteer Angler Surveys in which you can participate, what better way to keep track of your fishing experiences and help determine numbers and size structure of various species at the same time. In addition, your data will be used to augment and enhance existing data sets.

MD DNR relies on data from your catch to manage the following species: striped bass, summer flounder, bluefish, yellow perch, blue crabs along with smallmouth and largemouth bass. So go to our Volunteer Anglers Survey Web Page, click on the species of choice and follow the instructions!

Don’t Play Johnny Appleseed with Fish!

You may think stocking your favorite fish in a local stream or pond is a great idea, but think twice! Moving fish to waters where they were not historically found may disrupt the ecosystem and damage existing fish populations in that area. Like snakeheads, non-native fish can be very damaging. Maryland Fisheries Service is concerned about the potential impacts of two non-native catfish – the blue catfish and the flathead catfish. Both have been found in some Maryland waters.

Click here to view an advisory on these species and learn about the impacts of introducing these species. To learn more about the laws and regulations governing fish movements in Maryland, view our fact sheet “What Can I Stock or Release into Maryland Waters?”

To learn more about invasive species or what steps Maryland's Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has taken to help prevent invasive species from being introduced go to www.dnr.state.md.us/invasives/index.asp.

Tests Show No Evidence That Whirling Disease Is Spreading In Maryland

Department of Natural Resources officials are continuing to monitor sites throughout the state for evidence of whirling disease, a parasitic infection that attacks trout. Results from recent tests found no evidence the disease is spreading.

Anglers are urged to continue the successful precautions to prevent spread of the disease such as cleaning boats and equipment thoroughly after fishing and not transporting live fish, insects, bait, or plant from one body of water to another.

To read the entire press release regarding the recent tests concerning whirling disease, click here.

Check out the Fisheries Services' whirling disease web page for additional information regarding the disease and Maryland's effort to contain the parasite.

Get Your License Online or Call 1-800-918-2870

In our continuing efforts to improve customer service and comply with Maryland’s eGovernment service goals, DNR is expanding opportunities for citizens and visitors to purchase hunting and fishing licenses. Beginning immediately, hunting and fishing licenses are available for purchase via a toll-free telephone call at 1-800-918-2870. Also, we are now selling fishing and hunting licenses online at www.wildlifelicense.com/md/. Although customers have been asking us to offer these additional purchase methods as an added convenience for several years our network of license agents remains our primary distribution channel. You can find one in your area by visiting our online service center.

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