MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES
 FISHERIES SERVICE

 

MARYLAND'S COASTAL BAYS
BACK TO COASTAL BAYS PAGE
BACK TO FISHERIES SERVICE PAGE

Note: A fishing license is not needed to fish Maryland's Coastal Bays or the Atlantic.
(However, a Chesapeake Bay Sport Fishing license is necessary to fish the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.)

This is an abridged version of the regulations and does not include all regulated species. May not include Emergency Amendments, Quota Closures/Modifications or Proposed Amendments. Under State Govt. Article, Section 7-217, Annotated Code of Maryland, the printed version of COMAR is the official and enforceable text. Only the official text may be judicially noticed under Courts and Judicial Proceedings, Section 10-203, Annotated Code of Maryland. Consult the Maryland Register, Code of Maryland Regulations and Natural Resources Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland for full legal text.

Summary of Maryland Coastal Bays Recreational Fisheries Regulations
Species
Minimum Size
Season, Days, Times,
Creel Limits
Special Conditions/Comments
Black Drum 16" Open year round 1/person/day  
Black Sea Bass 12-1/2" Open year round
25/person/day
Bluefish 8" Open year round 10/person/day  
Clam, Hard Transverse 1" Open year round 250/person/day  
Croaker (Hardhead) 9" Open year round 25/person/day  
Eel, American 6" Open Year Round
Lobster 3 3/8" carapace If pot mesh less than ½" x ½", escape panel required.

100 lobster/person/day or
 500 lobster/trip for 5 day trip

5½" max. size for females
Must be landed whole

Changes being proposed for 2008

Mackerel, Spanish 14" Open Year Round 15/fish/person/day
Red Drum (Channel Bass) 18" - 27" Open year round 1/person/day
Striped Bass (Rockfish) 28" Open year round 2/person/day  
Scup (Porgy) 8" Open year round 50/person/day

CLOSED Mar 1-Sep 17 and
Dec 1-Dec 31 in EEZ.

Shad, American & Hickory PROHIBITED
Sharks

Federal Regulations governing the Atlantic Ocean and its tributary Coastal Bays. Fishermen are prohibited from possessing white, dusky, sand tiger, bigeye sand tiger, whale, basking bignose, Galapagos, Night, Caribbean reef, narrowtooth, Caribbean sharpnose, smalltail, Atlantic angel, longfin mako, bigeye thresher, sevengill, sixgill and bigeye sixgill. Except for those sharks that are prohibited, recreational fisherman are allowed to possess one shark per vessel per trip with a minimum size of 54-inches and one Atlantic sharpnose shark or one bonnethead shark per person per trip with no minimum size.
Recreational Shark Requirements
Commercial Shark Requirements
Spotted Seatrout 14" Open year round 10/person/day  
Sturgeon, Atlantic and Shortnose PROHIBITED
Summer Flounder

18"

April 15 thru September 13

3/person/day
Tautog 14"

Jan 1 thru May 15 and Nov 1 thru Nov 30

May 16 thru Oct 31

4/person/day

2/person/day

 Closed month of December  

Weakfish

 13" Open year round

 6 fish/person/day  

Click Here for a Summary of Maryland Coastal Bays Recreational Crabbing Regulations.

Click here for Dolphin and Wahoo.

Click here for HMS Species permits and regulations.

*This page was last updated August 6, 2009 *

This Page is maintained for the Fisheries Service by
Dianne Samuels
For Further Information, Contact
Dianne Samuels
Fax: 410-260-8310 / Voice: 800-688-FINS ext. 8273