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

Delaware court clears path for US Wind substation after Sussex, Fenwick lawsuit challenge

March 30, 2026 — A major legal battle over offshore wind in Sussex County has taken a decisive turn in the Delaware Court of Chancery this week.

The Court of Chancery has ruled in favor of the state, clearing the way for a controversial electrical substation tied to the US Wind project and rejecting a lawsuit filed by Sussex County and the Town of Fenwick Island, according to the Delaware Department of Justice.

That lawsuit challenged Senate Bill 159, a law passed in late 2025 after Sussex County Council voted 4-1 in late 2024 to deny a permit for the substation near the Indian River Power Plant.

The proposed facility would serve as the landing point for power cables from an offshore wind farm planned off the Maryland coast, ultimately connecting that energy to the regional grid.

Read the full article at WBOC

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

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: Rockfish regulations on hold at General Assembly committee

March 10, 2026 — A legislative committee is holding up new rockfish regulations from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources that would open a catch-and-release fishery in April for the first time in several years.

The delay was requested by a lawmaker concerned about the possible impact on charter boats, and approved Friday by the chair of the Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive and Legislative Review. But if the pause goes past Wednesday at about 10:30 a.m., the deadline for the regulation to make the next issue of the Maryland Register, it could cut into the April season, according to a spokesman from the department.

For Annapolis-based charter captain Tom Weaver, the days since the regulation was put on hold have been “chaos.”

Since he got the news on Friday, Weaver said he’s been hastily calling the 26 clients who had trips booked in April with his company, Fish With Weaver, and letting them know the season is in jeopardy. Local clients are willing to play it by ear, Weaver said, but several clients are coming from long distances, and he has been trying to shift their trips to other months.

“It took everybody by surprise,” said Weaver, a representative for the Maryland Light Tackle Fishing Guides Association.

The pause was ordered Friday by Del. Sandy Rosenberg (D-Baltimore City), a co-chair of the AELR committee, at the request of committee member Del. Jay Jacobs (R-Upper Shore). Rosenberg said he hopes to make a decision about the regulation by Wednesday, when Jacobs is expected to meet with DNR to discuss the matter.

Read the full article at Maryland Matters

MARYLAND: Maryland sees near-record oyster reproduction in 2025, officials say

March 10, 2026 — Maryland officials are celebrating what they call one of the strongest years for oyster reproduction in decades, with new data showing a dramatic spike in juvenile oysters across Maryland waters.

Gov. Wes Moore announced Monday that the concentration of new oysters in 2025 was nearly six times higher than the long-term average and ranks as the second-highest level recorded in the 41-year modern history of the state’s annual fall oyster survey.

Reproduction Near 30-Year High

According to preliminary findings from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), scientists recorded an average of 250 spat — juvenile oysters — per bushel at key monitoring sites. That figure is more than three times higher than the strong reproduction seen in 2023 and far above the long-term average of 42.2 spat per bushel. It marks the highest reproductive success since 1997.

Read the full article at Fox Baltimore

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