DRAFT Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Cownose Rays

The DRAFT Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Cownose Rays is ready for public comment.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is looking for feedback on the plan’s organization and content. Comments on the proposed management objectives provide the Department with valuable information and perspectives that may be incorporated into the plan. We appreciate your time and your commitment to Maryland’s natural resources.

The goal of the plan is “to ensure recreational and commercial harvests that support fishing and seafood industries, while also ensuring the sustainability of cownose ray populations and maintaining the ecological integrity of the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic coastal bay ecosystems.” Management objectives include: supporting science-based management; determining biologically appropriate levels of harvest and allocation; providing public education; promoting coordination with interested parties and partners; developing an ecosystem-based framework; and implementing adaptive management strategies.

• View the DRAFT Fishery Management Plan​
  
• Submit comments by filling out this Comment Form or by sending an email to [email protected] no later than 11:59 p.m. November 30, 2025

What is a Fishery Management Plan?

A Fishery Management Plan (FMP) serves as a framework for conserving and wisely using fishery resources. An FMP provides a format for undertaking management measures throughout Maryland state waters. In addition, FMPs allow the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR or Department) to specifically address issues that are unique to Maryland resources. The goal of an FMP is to protect the resource while allowing sustainable harvest. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASFMC) states that the main objective of fisheries management is to “allow enough harvest to sustain and build the fishing and seafood industries while protecting the productivity and sustainability of the marine ecosystems.”

Guidelines for the contents of a plan are described in Natural Resources Article, §4-215, Annotated Code of Maryland. When developing or reviewing a plan, staff review previous management measures, current monitoring data and results, stock assessment conclusions, scientific research data, ecosystem and socioeconomic factors, and other relevant data and information. ​

Upon adoption of an FMP, most of the FMPs are incorporated by reference into the Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR). Incorporation by reference (IBR) is a legal device by which one document is made a part of another simply by referring to it. The text of the referenced document, in this case the FMP, becomes fully and legally a part of COMAR. A regulation proposing to incorporate a document by reference is no different than any other proposed regulation. All the standard regulation-making procedures apply. In some cases, regulatory and statutory actions may be necessary to fully implement a management action and must go through the appropriate process, including scoping and public comment. Visit our Regulation pages for information about the regulatory process.

Natural Resources Article, §4-215, Annotated Code of Maryland states: Notwithstanding any other provision of this title, except § 4–1002 of this title, once a fishery management plan has been adopted by regulation, the State’s fishery resources shall be harvested in accordance with the conservation and management measures in the fishery management plan and any regulations implementing or amending that plan.