Saving Seafood

MARYLAND: Maryland Shifts Striped Bass Season with April Open and August Closed

April 2, 2026 — New Maryland regulations for 2026 recreational striped bass fishing take effect April 1, returning catch-and-release fishing in April for the first time since 2019 while closing the entire month of August to protect the species during hot weather.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources announced the seasonal shift to simplify rules and support long-term conservation of striped bass in the Chesapeake Bay. The changes align with the Interstate Fishery Management Plan and were developed after extensive stakeholder engagement and review of thousands of public comments.

The 2026 recreational striped bass season in the Chesapeake Bay and tidal tributaries is as follows: January 1 through April 30, catch-and-release fishing only; May 1 through July 31, harvest season; August 1 through 31, closed to all targeting; September 1 through December 5, harvest season; December 6 through 31, catch-and-release fishing only.

Spawning rivers remain closed to targeting from March 1 to May 31 to protect spawning striped bass. Closed areas include the Choptank, Chester, Manokin, Nanticoke, Patuxent, Transquaking and Wicomico rivers as well as the Upper Bay spawning area, including the Susquehanna Flats. Anglers can refer to the DNR website for maps and additional information regarding these closures. Striped bass fishing on the main stem of the Potomac River is managed separately by the Potomac River Fisheries Commission.

Read the full article at the Southern Maryland Chronicle

VIRGINIA: The blue catfish: If you can’t beat ’em, eat ’em

March 30, 2026 —  Virginia’s Secretary of Agriculture, Katie Frazier, was in Suffolk Friday to hand globally-known Suffolk-based Wanchese Fish Company a check for $248,000, which will allow it to quicky process blue catfish. Beginning in the seventies, the fish was used to stock rivers for sport fishing.

But now it is considered an ecological threat to the Chesapeake Bay. That’s why now, the state’s position is if you can’t beat ’em, eat ’em. According to NOAA, the taste is described as slightly sweet and clean.

“Processing equipment is, obviously, very expensive,” said Joel Richardson, a spokesperson for Wanchese Fish Company. “But we’re also adding jobs, and we’re hoping that over the next number of years, as we grow and we’re working buying fish from local fishermen, and going to be processing it.

Read the full article at WAVY.com

US lawmakers introduce bill to reauthorize NOAA’s Chesapeake Bay Office

March 24, 2026 — U.S. lawmakers have introduced legislation to reauthorize NOAA’s Chesapeake Bay office and bolster restoration efforts in the bay’s watershed.

“The Chesapeake Bay is the heart of so many Virginia communities, supporting fisherman and local businesses, offering unique educational opportunities to students, and serving as a hotspot for recreation,” U.S. Senator Mark Warner (D-Virginia) said in a release. “I’m proud to introduce this legislation that works to ensure the Bay remains a resource for generations to come.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

USDA issues USD 2 million in grant funding to improve blue catfish processing capacity

March 23, 2026 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued USD 2 million (EUR 1.7 million) in grant funding to two businesses to improve processing capacity for blue catfish, an invasive and prolific species in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

State and federal lawmakers have worked to increase processing capacity and grow the market for blue catfish, a voracious fish that can have a devastating impact on local ecosystems. In 2021, U.S. Congress established the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program under USDA to expand food processing capacity, and lawmakers have worked to ensure some funding is set aside to support catfish processing in the Chesapeake Bay region. Last year, USDA announced USD 6 million (EUR 5.2 million) in grant funding was available through the program for catfish processors.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

MARYLAND: Maryland loosens striped bass rules, boosts quota flexibility

March 18, 2026 — Maryland officials have rolled out a set of updates to commercial striped bass regulations aimed at improving flexibility for fishermen while keeping overall harvest limits intact.

According to a report by Coast TV, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced the changes to address long-standing challenges with quota access and permit transfers in both the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean striped bass fisheries.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

MARYLAND: Maryland updates striped bass fishing rules for commercial harvest

March 17, 2026 — New striped bass fishing regulations are now in effect in Maryland, changing how commercial license holders manage quota and transfer permits in the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean fisheries.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources announced updates designed to provide commercial fishermen with more flexibility while maintaining the overall harvest limits unchanged.

One major change increases the allocation cap in the Chesapeake Bay commercial striped bass fishery from 1.5% to 2%. The cap limits the amount of the total annual quota that any one license holder can temporarily control.

Read the full article at Coast TV

MARYLAND: Fishing industry, conservation groups react to Maryland striped bass bill

March 11, 2026 — A new bill in Annapolis that could change how striped bass fishing rules are set in Maryland is drawing strong reactions from both the seafood industry and conservation groups.

Supporters say the proposal would require economic studies before certain regulations take effect, while opponents warn it could weaken protections for the Chesapeake Bay’s most iconic fish.

Robert Newberry with the Delmarva Fisheries Association traveled to Annapolis Tuesday to advocate for Senate Bill 755. He says many fishing communities feel recent regulations have hurt their livelihoods.

“We have said that this adversely affects our industry, but there’s been no economic study done,” Newberry said. “You know, all we get is from DNR. Well, you know, some of the guys are going to get hurt, not some — everybody’s hurt.”

The bill would change how some striped bass regulations are implemented by limiting certain authority of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and requiring additional economic review before new rules are finalized.

For local seafood businesses, the issue hits close to home.

Mason Little, who owns Choptank River Crab & Oyster in Cambridge, says he understands both sides of the debate.

Read the full article at WBOC

MARYLAND: The aftermath of Potomac River wastewater spilling into the Chesapeake Bay

March 5, 2026 — Maryland Governor Wes Moore, requested federal disaster funding relief for Maryland’s waters after a spill. This incident is impacting watermen and the commercial seafood industry.

This is because of a recent Potomac River interceptor sewage spill incident that involved several million gallons of wastewater spilling into the Potomac, which traveled on into the Chesepeake Bay.

Robert Newberry, the President of the Delmarva Fisheries Association, explains the consensus among many watermen camps around the Eastern Shore. “Ask any watermen, are things better now than they were 3 years ago? What are they going to tell you? Hell no, this is the worst we’ve ever seen it.”

Delegate Wayne Hartman affirms that the Eastern Shore Delegation has kept a close eye on watermen and the regulations that have been imposed.

Read the full article at WMDT

MARYLAND: Gov. Moore sends federal disaster funding request on current state of fishery

March 3, 2026 — The Delmarva Fisheries Association, sharing with WMDT, a letter from Governor Wes Moore that was sent to the U.S. Department of Commerce, Secretary Howard Lutnick.

The letter was an attempt to request an evaluation of the current state of commercial fishery in Maryland waters.

With the snowstorm, ice in the Chesapeake Bay has depressed the market this year. Governor Wes Moore said there had been quote “reduced consumer confidence resulting from misconceptions about the impact of the Potomac interceptor sewage spill on Maryland’s waterways.”

Robert Newberry, the President of the Delmarva Fisheries Association, says the Governor’s request for funding from the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation Management Act (MSA) and Interjurisdictional Fisheries Act (IFA) will take too long to process payment in the current situation, which he claims is dire.

Read the full article at WMDT

MARYLAND: Maryland governor, congressional delegation request disaster designation for oystermen following icy conditions, sewage spill

March 2, 2026 — Maryland officials have formally requested the U.S. federal government issue a fishery resource disaster designation for the state’s commercial oyster fishery, which has struggled in the face of icy weather and a massive sewage spill this season.

The state’s commercial oystermen had already been struggling with an unusually cold winter that produced icy conditions in the Chesapeake Bay, preventing them from getting out on the water and accessing the valuable shellfish underneath for much of the season. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources even used state vessels to break up ice and keep navigation channels open for commercial fishers but found that water was quickly refreezing.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource