Civilizations and communities dating back thousands of years have relied on the harvests of fish and shellfish for survival and their livelihood. Commercial fishing has occurred in Maryland for more than 300 years. Early records show millions of pounds of Atlantic menhaden, rockfish, shad, and oysters being harvested every year. Commercial fishing rapidly expanded in the 19th century with annual landings of as much as 48 million pounds of shad and millions of bushels of oysters. Today, commercial fishing has expanded to include invasive fishes, blue catfish and northern snakehead, which are highly palatable and ones that Marylanders hope can be harvested at levels that minimize their ecological impacts to the natural resources we want to protect.

Maryland’s fisheries and seafood industry continues to improve and adapt through innovation and technology. With the dedication of some of the country’s best scientists, Maryland is proud to promote the sustainability of its natural resources and maximize harvest for its invasive fishes.