BLACK BASS TOURNAMENTS
The Department is considering requiring a black bass tournament permit for all fishing tournaments with ten or more participating boats, regardless of whether they have a formal weigh-in location or offer incentives. This would include all non-possession tournaments for black bass including catch-photo-release and catch-weigh-release.
BLUE CRAB - Commercial Day Off
COMAR 08.02.03.14
The Department modified the commercial crabbing day off rules in the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries.
COMMERCIAL LICENSE TARGETS
The Department needs to update the commercial license targets. Modifications to the authorization targets reflect the number of tidal fish license conversions since January 15, 2025.
COWNOSE RAYS - Fishery Management Plan and Regulations
The Department would like to incorporate by reference the Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Cownose Rays (January 2026) into regulation. The Department is also considering establishing regulations to implement the plan.
FISHERY MANAGEMENT AREAS - Bynum Run Pond and Forest Hill Lake (Harford County)
The Department is considering formally transferring the ownership/management of two Fisheries Management Areas (FMAs) in Harford County from the Department’s Fishing and Boating Services to the Harford County Government. The FMAs include Bynum Run Pond and Forest Hill Lake. Please see the summary for maps and information on how to request a hearing.
GEAR - Housekeeping
The Department needs to clarify that an individual may only attempt to catch fish when using legal fishing gear. The regulation already says that you can only catch fish with certain gear, but it should say that you can only use that gear to catch or attempt to catch fish. It was recently discovered that the regulation is not completely clear.
LARGEMOUTH BASS - Scientific Renaming
The Department needs to update its references to the scientific name of largemouth bass, formerly
Micropterus salmoides. In 2023, the American Fisheries Society published their most recent list of common and scientific names of fishes, which reflects a change in the name of Florida bass from
Micropterus floridanus to
Micropterus salmoides and in the name of largemouth bass from
Micropterus salmoides to
Micropterus nigricans. This means that all of the Department’s references to the scientific name of largemouth bass now technically refer to Florida bass. The Department is not changing any rules relating to largemouth bass, does not have Florida bass, and does not support introduction of Florida bass.
MENHADEN, TAUTOG, AND WEAKFISH - Dealers
The Department would like to require fish dealers to allow Department biologists access to Atlantic menhaden, tautog, and weakfish landed in Maryland to obtain lengths and weights of these species.
MONETARY VALUES OF FISH - Updates
The Department would like to update the monetary values of fish in the Code of Maryland Regulations. The Department would like to remove outdated fish values and replace them with the most up-to-date values as determined by the American Fisheries Society (AFS). The original AFS document was the basis for the 1975 regulations, so this change is in line with the original regulation. The Department would incorporate the document by reference and make the document available on the Fishing and Boating Service’s website. Additionally, the Department would clarify that the regulations will only apply to fish kill incidents. The AFS document does not cover all species so the Department would consider other available resources and information such as dockside value, stocking costs, and inflation in determining replacement costs for species that are not listed.
NUISANCE SPECIES – Commercial Sale
The Department is considering allowing properly licensed commercial harvesters to sell invasive fish species (e.g., blue catfish, flathead catfish, and Chesapeake Channa (also known as northern snakehead)) that are collected in a fish lift.
A fish lift is a mechanical elevator that lifts fishes congregating at the base of dams and carries them across a dam and to the upstream side of the dam.
NUISANCE SPECIES - Updates to Listings
The Department would like to update its nuisance species list to reflect changing understandings of which species may present a danger to Maryland’s native species and ecosystems.
The changes include:
- delisting candiru
- expanding the listing of swamp eels to apply to an entire family of fish rather than a specific species
- listing both Chinese pond mussel and waterwheel as species which a person may not import, transport, purchase, possess, propagate, sell, or release into State waters
- making a number of technical updates based on information that has developed since the last update to these lists
OYSTERS – Public Shellfish Fishery Areas (83, 152, 156)
COMAR 08.02.04.17
The Department declassified a portion of one public shellfish fishery area (PSFA 83) and corrected the boundaries of two public shellfish fishery areas (PSFA 152 and PSFA 156).
PENALTIES – Updates to Penalty Schedules - OPEN FOR COMMENT
The Department proposed to modify its commercial and recreational penalty schedules based on the recommendations of the Sport Fisheries Advisory Commission/Tidal Fisheries Advisory Commission Joint Penalty Workgroup.
RED DRUM - Recreational Limits and Public Notices
The Department is considering:
- Changing the recreational catch, possession, and maximum size limits.
- Adding the ability to modify catch limits, size limits, and seasons by issuing a public notice.
REPORTING – Guided Fishing Trips
The Department needs to update the name of the daily log used to report guided fishing trips. The name of the form will be changed from the commercial charter boat captain's daily log to the fishing guide daily log. This is a housekeeping change that simply changes the name of the report.
REPORTING – Methods for Commercial and Fishing Guides
COMAR 08.02.13.06
The purpose of this action is to formalize the reporting methods for commercial and fishing guide licensees and require licensees to declare their method of reporting for each type of report they are required to submit. Specifically, the proposed action:
- Makes it clear that anyone licensed under Natural Resources Article, §§4-210, 4-210.1, 4-701, 4-701.1, or 4-701.2, Annotated Code of Maryland, shall accurately record their harvest information;
- Describes the methods of reporting and the requirements for each method;
- Requires a licensee to declare which reporting method they will use for each type of report they are required to complete;
- Provides a mechanism for a licensee to change their declaration up to two times per license year; and
- Describes exceptions to regulations if a licensee chooses to report with the electronic harvest reporting system with hailing.
The summary (link below) has detailed information and frequently asked questions.
SHELLFISH – GENERAL – Definitions
COMAR 08.02.08.01
The Department updated the definition of shellfish to reflect a change made by the Maryland General Assembly. The list of species and their shells from the definition was replaced with the phrase “live bivalves and bivalve shells.”
SHELLFISH – GENERAL – Seafood Dealer Declaration Requirement
There is currently a requirement that seafood dealers declare their intent to purchase shellfish intended for human consumption (soft-shell clams of the species Mya arenaria, hard-shell clams, and oysters) prior to engaging in that activity. The Department would like to modify the requirement to include harvesters who sell their own catch, who are also licensed by the Maryland Department of Health.
SPANISH MACKEREL - Catch Limits and Public Notices
The Department is considering:
- Implementing a commercial catch limit of 500 pounds per vessel per day or trip when NOAA Fisheries announces a closure of the northern fishery; and
- Changing the requirement to publish a public notice in a newspaper to posting the notice on the Department’s website.
SPINY DOGFISH - Gill Nets
COMAR 08.02.05.24
The Department implemented area-based commercial gear requirements in the spiny dogfish gill net fishery to reduce bycatch of Atlantic sturgeon.
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STRIPED BASS – Commercial Allocation Caps and Transfer Processes
The Department:
- Increased the allocation cap in the Chesapeake Bay commercial striped bass fishery to 2%.
- Modified the transfer rules for permits, allocation, and shares in both the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean commercial striped bass fisheries.
STRIPED BASS – Recreational Seasons
COMAR 08.02.05.02; COMAR 08.02.15.02, .09, .10 and .12; COMAR 08.02.25.03
The Department implemented the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) Addendum III to Amendment 7 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Striped Bass. The Department has adopted the Baseline Season Adjustment.
TROUT – Governors Bridge Pond and Waterworks Park Pond
The Department is considering adding the areas to the list of put-and-take trout fishing areas.
TROUT – Lower Savage River
The Department is considering changing the designation for the areas of the lower Savage River that are currently listed as trophy trout fishing areas to catch-and-return trout fishing areas.
TROUT – Owens Creek
The Department is considering adding the rules that apply to catch-and-return, artificial fly fishing only areas to the upper sections of Owens Creek that are located on Catoctin Mountain Park (U.S. National Park Service) property.
TROUT – Youghiogheny River
The Department is considering changing the trout fishing regulations on a portion of the Youghiogheny River, located near Friendsville, Maryland. The area (described in the summary) would be removed from the delayed harvest (Group II) trout fishing areas and added to the put-and-take trout fishing areas.
YELLOW PERCH – Recreational Limit
COMAR 08.02.21.03
The Department proposed to reduce the recreational catch limit and clarify rules for yellow perch. The proposed action reduces the daily catch and possession limit of yellow perch from ten fish to five fish per person in all tidal waters and in streams and rivers in nontidal waters. The proposed action does not modify the limits for nontidal lakes and ponds.
