Shellfish aquaculture leaseholders in the state of Maryland are required to submit a monthly harvest report for each shellfish lease held. Everything needed to report monthly harvest is included in the Shellfish Aquaculture Harvester Permit packet mailed by the department when a new lease is issued or re-permitted for the following year. The packet includes requested Shellfish Aquaculture Harvester Permit and Registration Cards for eligible recipients, instructions for where to find and print blank Maryland Monthly Shellfish Aquaculture Harvest Report forms, and report barcode labels printed with the primary leaseholder’s name, the lease number, and month of harvest. Blank harvest report forms are available by request from the department or online under the Aquaculture sub-heading of the
Fishing and Boating Services forms page.
Leaseholders must complete a Maryland Monthly Shellfish Aquaculture Harvest Report in its entirety for
every month of the year, or all remaining months of the year beginning with the month in which a new lease is first permitted. All information must be
complete and
accurate for each day of shellfish harvest in order to be accepted. Please refer to the instructions sheet at the link below for more details on how to complete a report correctly.
If no shellfish harvest occurred in a month, leaseholders are still required to complete a report indicating "NO HARVEST", sign, affix the corresponding barcode label(s) and submit to the department by the 10th of the following month. If harvest will not occur for more than one consecutive month, a leaseholder may list and affix all barcode labels for those months on the blank section of one form.
Harvest Submission Methods:
- By mail to: Department of Natural Resources,Fishing and Boating Services,
Attn: Shellfish Aquaculture Harvest Report
580 Taylor Avenue, E-4
Annapolis, MD 21401
- By email to: aquacultureharvestreport.dnr@maryland.gov
- By fax to: 410-260-8310
Reports must be
received by the 10th day of the month immediately following the month in which harvest occurred. Email submissions will receive an automatic reply to confirm receipt. If sending reports by email, the preferred format is a PDF attachment. Please do NOT attach photos of the reports, as they are difficult to read and process.
Failure to submit reports in a timely manner may affect the standing of the lease with the department and/or delay Shellfish Aquaculture Harvester Permit renewal for the following year.
To confirm the status of a harvest report, please contact the Aquaculture Division at (410)-260-8648 or email your inquiry to aquacultureharvestreport.dnr@maryland.gov.
Harvest Reporting Document Quick Links:
Sanctuary Harvest
In accordance with COMAR 08.02.04.15(C)(3), a leaseholder or a permit registrant authorized under COMAR 08.02.23.04 shall notify the department as specified on the Shellfish Aquaculture Harvester Permit (SAHP) 48 hours in advance of using a power dredge to harvest shellfish from a lease in an oyster sanctuary. Shellfish Aquaculture Harvester Permits and Registration Cards issued for leases within the boundaries of a sanctuary will have the Sanctuary Power Dredge Hotline number, (410) 260-2424, printed on them. Please refer to the
Sanctuary Power Dredge Hotline Harvest Notification Call-In Procedures Fact Sheet for further details.
Have a question on how to fill out the report?
Frequently Asked Questions
Email Notification Want to make sure you are not missing reports? Sign up for our Department of Natural Resources Shellfish Aquaculture Email Notification Program. Please send your name, lease number(s) and email address to
Aquaculture.dnr@maryland.gov or call 410-260-8648. Email reminders are sent on the 20th of each month to leaseholders if our records indicate that a report is missing.
