Aquatic Studies Permits are issued by the department to allow elementary through high schools to possess or maintain aquatic organisms common to Maryland waters. If the organisms will be released into the wild, release locations must be specified in advance.

Collections from the wild are not allowed under these permits. If you wish to collect organisms from the wild you will need an Aquatic Scientific Collection Permit. To obtain similar permissions for non-aquatic organisms (such as turtles, amphibians, or mammals), please contact the Department of Natural Resources Wildlife and Heritage Service.

The application for an Aquatic Studies Permit is available below (Google form or pdf), and may be submitted electronically. If you prefer to mail your application, please contact us at the email below for further instructions. Permits are issued annually to cover a school year.

1) Online by submitting this Google Form or 

2) By completing and returning the pdf versionAquatic Studies Per​mit Appl​ication​