Maryland Department of Natural Resources

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Maryland Fish Facts

​Welcome to fish facts, a collection of information about the wide variety of fish you can find in the state of Maryland. Below are listings of fish and aquatic life that are common to Maryland waters. The individual fact sheets provide identification information as well as where you can find the species, what they eat, breeding patterns and resource concerns.

Before you go fishing, make sure you know the rules and regulations for the individual species, so you know if you are allowed to catch them, how big they must be and when it is legal to do so.​


graphic link to Official Dividing Lines For Tidal/Non-tidal graphic link to License Free Fishing Locations graphic link to Public Lakes and PondsPublic Lakes and Ponds
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graphic link to the Public Angler Access Map​
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Amercan Eel  American Shad  American Gizzard Shad  Atlantic Croaker  Atlantic Sturgeon  ​Black Crappie  Black Drum   Black Sea Bass   Bluefish   Bluegill   Brook Trout   Brown Trout   Chain Pickerel   Channel Catfish   Cobia   Common Carp  ​ Mahi Mahi   Fallfish   Hickory Shad   Largemouth Bass   Longnose Gar   Menhaden   Monkfish   Muskellunge   Kingfish   Northern Pike   Rainbow Trout   River Herring - Alewife and Blueback Herring   Scup (Porgy)   Sheepshead   Smallmouth Bass   Spanish Mackerel   Spiny Dogfish Shark   Spot   Spotted Seatrout   Striped Bass   Striped Burrfish   Summer Flounder   Tautog   Tiger Muskie   Wahoo   Walleye   Weakfish   White Catfish  White Marlin   White Perch   Yellow Perch  

Invasive Fish  Blue Catfish  Flathead Catfish  Chesapeake Channa - Northern Snakehead 

Blue Crab  Bay Scallop 
Eastern Oyster  Hard Shell Clam  Horseshoe Crab 


Maryland Department of Natural Resources Fishing and Boating Services also has information available online that provides survey data of juveniles of various species from the striped bass seine survey. Please check out the information at: Juvenile Striped Bass Survey

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  Fish Identification Posters and Invasive Species Signage​

Illustrations by Duane Raver provided by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS); Illustrations by Diane Rome Peebles, Provided by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Division of Marine Fisheries Management; NOAA; Illustration by Susan Trammell/ Courtesy of the United States Geological Survey (USGS); Maine Department of Marine Resources, Recreational Fisheries Program and the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund. All Illustrations used with permission or by contract with said artists.
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