Saving Seafood

MARYLAND: “Not for sale” says Ocean City Mayor after multimillion dollar offer for fishing community by US Wind

May 20, 2025 —  As the prospect of offshore wind projects along the coast continues, the town of Ocean City and now the Waterman’s Association seem to be on the same page in declaring that they are “not for sale.” That’s the claim made in a statement this week by Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan.

The statement was a response to a $20 million dollar investment proposal that is aimed at supporting commercial fishing operations in Maryland.

The Memoranda of Understanding between US Wind and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources was designed to asswage concerns from the local fishing industry over plans for offshore wind. 

Read the full article at Coast TV

MARYLAND: Maryland governor signs law supporting water quality and aquaculture in Chesapeake Bay

May 19, 2025 — Maryland Governor Wes Moore has signed into law legislation designed to improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay and simplify reporting for the state’s aquaculture sector.

“We have a responsibility to hand over the state to the next generation better than we found it. That’s not just a moral priority; that’s an economic imperative,” Moore said in a statement. “The Chesapeake Bay Legacy Act will uplift every sector of our bay economy, from agriculture to aquaculture. Together, we will protect and preserve our natural heirlooms and drive economic growth. Those missions aren’t in conflict; they’re in concert.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

 

MARYLAND: Moore signs Chesapeake Bay bill as federal cuts loom large

May 14, 2025 — Gov. Wes Moore (D) signed what he called “the most comprehensive piece of Chesapeake Bay legislation that Maryland has seen in years,” at a time when federal cuts threaten environmental programs for the estuary.

The Chesapeake Bay Legacy Act was signed Tuesday, one of 171 bills signed into law at the fourth and next-to-last bill signing ceremony following the 2025 legislative session.

The wide-ranging Legacy Act allots “up to $900,000 per year” to a new certification program for farmers who use sustainable practices that decrease runoff into the bay, establishes a water quality monitoring program to unify current testing efforts and aims to streamline oyster aquaculture leasing, among other provisions.

“At a time when we see how our federal administration has stepped back from protecting our air and our water, Maryland is stepping up,” Moore said.

The governor also signed an abortion grant program that will help fund abortion services for uninsured and underinsured individuals, and a bill allowing individuals with autism and other nonapparent conditions to add an identifying symbol to their state IDs. That, and Tuesday saw the approval of a new state mineral, chromite, and a new state cocktail, the Orange Crush.

Read the full article at Maryland Matters

Could planned federal funding cuts jeopardize Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay restoration plans?

April 28, 2025 — The Trump administration’s plans to propose budget cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) could jeopardize efforts to restore the health of Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay, according to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF).

According to the CBF, the administration’s potential budget cuts would slash NOAA’s total budget by $1.7 billion, from $6.1 billion to $4.5 billion. It would also reduce funding for the National Marine Fisheries Service by approximately 30 percent.

How would the cuts affect the Chesapeake Bay?

The proposed budget plan would significantly reduce NOAA’s financial support and scientific leadership for Chesapeake Bay restoration efforts.

Under the plan, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), which currently operates with a budget of $1.1 billion, would be reduced to $789.3 million in fiscal year 2026 under the planned budget.

The NMFS houses NOAA’s Chesapeake Bay Office, which leads science initiatives across the region and works closely with the EPA’s Chesapeake Bay Program on restoration efforts, according to the CBF.

Read the full story at CBS News

MARYLAND: Robert Newberry of the Delmarva Fisheries Association pushes back against new regulations impacting fishermen

April 1, 2025 — The Atlantic States Marine Fishery Commission has imposed new regulations on striped bass. The decision came after concerns over below-average striped bass numbers in the Chesapeake Bay.

Robert Newberry, CEO of the Delmarva Fisheries Association, claims the ASMFC unfairly targeted watermen. “We constantly complain to the ASMFC that reducing from our 2 fish on the stripe-bass for charter boats is cutting 50% of our industry right out of the gate.”

The Commission pushed for these implementations because they believed they would restore balance to the bay. Management Plan Coordinator Emilie Franke, said this was the best move to save striped bass.

“Right now, the stock is over-fished, which means it is below our threshold for female spawning stock biomass, which means all the mature females that can spawn and contribute new fish to the stock.”

Read the full article at WMDT

Supreme Court denies fishing case

March 13, 2025 — The Supreme Court has denied a hearing for a coalition of Maryland fishing associations and charter boat operators seeking to overturn new striped bass fishing restrictions. But for Captain Robert Newberry, chairman of the Delmarva Fisheries Association, the legal battle is far from over.

“It’s not good that we were denied the hearing in front of the Supreme Court, but this is far from over. We are in it to win it. We will be announcing our next move within a week,” Newberry said.

The coalition had filed an emergency petition with the Supreme Court to block the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s new restrictions, arguing they imposed “drastic, unwarranted, and illegal limitations” on striped bass fishing in the Chesapeake Bay and along the Atlantic coast. The March 4 petition claimed the regulations violated the U.S. Constitution and threatened the livelihoods of small fishing businesses.

Read the full article at Southern Maryland News

Striped bass restrictions head to Supreme Court

March 11, 2025 — A coalition of Maryland fishing associations and charter boat operators have escalated their legal battle against new striped bass fishing restrictions, filing an emergency petition with the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to block the regulations.

Capt. Robert Newberry, chairman of Delmarva Fisheries Association stated, “We will take this case to the highest court until this matter is resolved — it is far from over.”

The Delmarva Fisheries Association and the Maryland Charter Boat Association, along with two individual commercial fishermen, argue that the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s recent measures impose “drastic, unwarranted, and illegal limitations” on striped bass fishing in the Chesapeake Bay and along the Atlantic coast. The petition, filed March 4, claims the restrictions violate the U.S. Constitution and could jeopardize the livelihoods of many small businesses.

Read the full article at Southern Maryland News

VIRGINIA: Virginia lawmakers look to reduce restrictions on harvesting invasive blue catfish

February 6, 2025 — Lawmakers in the U.S. state of Virginia have introduced a bill to eliminate restrictions on harvesting of blue catfish, an invasive species that has devastated ecosystems in the Chesapeake Bay region.

Since their introduction to the Chesapeake Bay as a recreational fish in the late 1960s, predatory blue catfish have come to dominate waters in Virginia and neighboring Maryland.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

How a Maryland county tried to sway a Delaware vote on offshore wind

January 14, 2025 — In early December, a new website appeared online urging Sussex County, Delaware, residents to contact their council members and tell them to deny a permit for a proposed offshore wind farm.

The website – StopOffshoreWind.com – materialized days before the Sussex County Council’s vote on the permit, which would allow for construction of an electrical substation needed by US Wind Inc. to build its massive ocean-based power plant.

StopOffshoreWind.com included the names and contact information for council members, as well as an online message form under the phrase, “Write a Letter to your Sussex County Councilmembers.”

“Tell the Sussex County Council to DENY this permit,” it said.

What it did not show were the names of the people or companies that had created and funded it.

Spotlight Delaware has since learned that the website was the creation of a coalition of Maryland wind farm opponents, funded and led by the government of Worcester County, home to Ocean City, a summer beach hotspot that is the primary driver of the county’s tourism-centered economy.

And, many of the local business owners there believe the sight of windmills 15 miles offshore would make the beaches less attractive to tourists.

Zach Bankert, executive director of the Ocean City Development Corp., said his group had led local opposition to offshore wind development in past years. But, with a staff of just two employees, he said the operation was too small to be effective, which is why the county’s Office of Tourism and Economic Development recently took it over.

Read the full article at Maryland Matters