Saving Seafood

MARYLAND: Maryland striped bass reproduction improves, remains below average for eighth straight year

October 20, 2026 — Striped bass reproduction in Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay showed signs of improvement this year but remained below average for the eighth consecutive year, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

The department’s annual juvenile striped bass survey recorded an index of 5.5, the highest since 2018. That is up from 4.0 in 2025 and 2.0 in 2024, but still well below the long-term average of 10.8.

Biologists say they collected 723 juvenile striped bass during sampling at 22 sites in the Choptank, Nanticoke, and Potomac rivers and the upper Chesapeake Bay. The upper Bay and Choptank River produced the strongest results, according to researchers.

Read the full article at WBOC

MARYLAND: Maryland Striped Bass Reproduction Index Higher for 2026 But Below Average For Eighth Straight Year

October 19, 2026 — The following was released by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources:

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) 2026 juvenile striped bass survey recorded a young-of-year index of 5.5. Although it marks the eighth consecutive year of low spawning success for striped bass, this is the highest index recorded since 2018. The survey tracks the reproductive success of Maryland’s state fish in Chesapeake Bay.

During this annual survey, fisheries biologists sample 22 sites located in four major striped bass spawning areas: the Choptank, Nanticoke, and Potomac rivers, and the upper Chesapeake Bay. Biologists visit each site three times per summer, collecting fish with two sweeps of a 100-foot beach seine net. The index represents the average number of 3-inch or smaller juvenile striped bass caught in 132 sweeps of the net. The survey, one of the longest-running continuous fish surveys in the United States, has been conducted in Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay since 1954.

This year’s survey captured 723 juvenile striped bass. The highest performing areas were the upper Bay and Choptank River. Although striped bass catches were below average, the fish were more widely distributed than in recent years, indicating suitable habitat throughout the nursery areas. The long-term average index for the survey is currently 10.8, while the index was 4.0 in 2025 and 2.0 in 2024. 

“We are encouraged to see some improvements to the numbers of juvenile striped bass this year, while it wasn’t as robust as we would like,” said Maryland DNR Fishing and Boating Services Director Michael Luisi. “Ongoing low recruitment is anticipated to impact rebuilding of the coastwide striped bass population. Results from coastwide juvenile indices will be incorporated into the ongoing work to produce the benchmark stock assessment expected to be completed in 2027.”

Biologists captured nearly 72,000 fish of 61 different species while conducting this year’s survey. Fishing license, tackle, boat, and marine fuel purchases fund DNR’s fish conservation work. Positive findings from the survey include two important forage species that were documented in abundance during the survey. Young Atlantic menhaden were found in abundance, while Atlantic silversides were found in the highest numbers in over a decade. These species are vital to the ecology of the Bay as a food source for many other species of fish and wildlife. Another encouraging finding was above-average reproduction of American shad in the Potomac River and upper Chesapeake Bay; however, the survey does not evaluate the larger, adult populations of these species.

Efforts to rebuild the Atlantic Coast population of striped bass to previous high levels have been underway for several years and are ongoing. Through the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, Maryland and other states that border the Atlantic Ocean have implemented management measures, including reductions to catch limits, tighter slot limits, and season closures. Continued low levels of reproduction will influence future conservation measures under consideration by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.

Recent population estimates indicate healthy adult populations of striped bass, despite the downturn in juvenile spawning success. A rebuilt adult population should reproduce successfully when conditions like river flow, temperature and food availability are favorable for striped bass eggs and larvae.

Multiple factors affect striped bass spawning success in the Chesapeake Bay. Cold winters and wet springs tend to be beneficial for spawning, and while Maryland experienced a cold winter, the prolonged regional drought and resulting low river flows may have led to unfavorable conditions for striped bass eggs and larvae. High river flows increase spawning habitat,  allow eggs to remain suspended in the water column, and bring larvae closer to food sources. Other variables, including a shortened spawning period, could also influence spawning success.

These consecutive below-average year classes will likely become more apparent among the adult population of striped bass in the coming years, as the juveniles reach maturity. A benchmark stock assessment for the coastwide population of Atlantic striped bass is underway and expected to complete peer review in spring 2027. The stock assessment will evaluate the condition of striped bass from Maine to North Carolina and inform future management actions.

The Virginia Institute of Marine Science conducts a similar survey in the southern portion of Chesapeake Bay.

NOAA delay threatens 2026 sea bass, flounder rules for Maryland anglers

April 22, 2026 — Maryland and Mid-Atlantic fisheries officials are warning that delays in updating federal recreational fishing rules could disrupt the 2026 season for black sea bass and summer flounder, threatening anglers, charter operations and coastal businesses already strained by a difficult year.

The concern follows a string of setbacks for Maryland watermen, including a collapse in the oyster market, a severe winter freeze, a major sewage spill in the Potomac River, and ongoing uncertainty surrounding rockfish regulations and blue catfish.

In letters sent last week, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and U.S. Rep. Andy Harris urged the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to complete rulemaking tied to recreational measures for summer flounder, scup, black sea bass and bluefish.

Officials say the delay could force anglers and charter boats to operate under older, more restrictive federal rules just as the season begins. That scenario, they argue, would create confusion between state and federal waters, eliminate expected easing of black sea bass limits, shorten fishing opportunities and undermine years of work toward more stable management.

Read the full article at Yahoo! News

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

VIRGINIA: The Potomac’s Herring Are Hurting. Virginia’s Game Wardens Protect Them.

October 26, 2023 — A black unmarked truck is rumbling across Chain Bridge, its back seat piled with camo, firearms, coolers, and gear. Up front are two game wardens with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources.

“The water is so low,” one says, eyeing the Potomac out the window. “The lowest I’ve ever seen it in my career.”

Over the bridge, on the Virginia side, they stash their truck in a gulch by the woods, hike a deer trail, then split up. One descends the hill toward the river. The other climbs a steep bluff, stopping by a stand of oaks. Beneath him, a small stream empties into the Potomac, and he trains his binoculars on its mouth. There, he sees it: white glimmers on the water, the surface churning with fish. The herring are here, leaping into the tide pools. The spawning run is on.

Each spring, from the depths of the North Atlantic, millions of herring migrate up coastal rivers in vast schools, often crossing hundreds of miles to spawn. For weeks, they battle the currents, the predators, the pollution, the storms, drawn irrevocably to their natal waters—the streams and creeks where they were born—where they’ll shoot clouds of roe and milt into the water, then ride the current back out to sea. For many of them, Chain Bridge is the finish line; beneath its concrete piers is the mouth of Pimmit Run, a small creek choked with rocks and industrial rubble, one of the best herring hatcheries around.

With one hand, Sergeant Rich Goszka holds his binoculars to his face, and with the other, he grabs his phone. “There’s fish in the eddy and they’re trying to spawn right now,” he tells his partner, Mark Sanitra, who’s camouflaged somewhere below. “I can see them flashing from up on this hill.” Just then, a man in a gray shirt wanders a few dozen feet up the creek and sticks his hands into the water. “Yeah, I see him,” Goszka says, his voice testy. “Hang on—just hang on. Yeah, he’s trying to catch them by hand.”

 Read the full article at the Washingtonian

Boaters, watermen worried about expanded zone for weapons testing on Potomac River

March 30, 2023 — For more than a century, the U.S. Navy has been using the lower Potomac River as a firing range to test its guns and munitions. In recent decades, it’s tried out new weapons over the water, like lasers and electromagnetic railguns.

Since the first booming artillery round soared 14 miles downriver in 1918, residents on both sides of the Potomac have learned to live with the intermittent blasts from the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division, in King George County, VA. Pleasure boaters and watermen alike also learned to work around the open water testing, when a stretch of river south of the U.S. 301 bridge is closed to river traffic.

That unquestioning acceptance has changed lately, though. It began with a bureaucratic notice in the Federal Register in December seeking public comment on a proposed expansion of the middle “danger zone” that extends about 20 miles downriver from Dahlgren. The notice said the expansion was for “ongoing infrared sensor testing for detection of airborne chemical or biological agent simulants, directed energy testing, and for operating manned or unmanned watercraft.”

Boaters who spotted the notice reacted with dismay. They complained that the proposed danger zone expansion would force vessels trying to get up or down river into such shallow water along the Maryland shore that they would risk running aground.

“I have been boating on the Eastern seaboard for over 40 years,” wrote James Khoury, vice commodore of the Prince William Yacht Club. “I have never come across a mandate that deliberately puts the safety of boaters in both the recreational and commercial boating industry in jeopardy.”

The notice also stirred concerns among oyster farmers and watermen, especially after Potomac Riverkeeper Dean Naujoks began raising questions about how the Navy’s gunnery exercises and chemical/biological tests may affect fish and shellfish.

In late January, the Potomac Riverkeeper Network and Natural Resources Defense Council sent the secretary of the Navy two letters accusing the service of violating federal environmental laws and threatening to sue.

Read the full article at Bay Journal

New rockfish moratorium possible warns architect of ban that saved species 36 years ago

June 10, 2021 — The architect of a historic fishing moratorium that saved the rockfish in the Chesapeake Bay nearly 36 years ago is warning that it could happen again.

Former Maryland State Senator Gerald Winegrad told WUSA9 Wednesday that efforts to stop an alarming slide in the population of rockfish are not working and action has to be taken now.

It is a drastic prediction, because the iconic Chesapeake Bay species amount to a half-billion-dollar industry in the Eastern U.S., according to one study for a recreational fishing organization.

“It’s a potential if we wait two, three, or four years to really start cracking down on the harvest,” Winegrad said. “It is a potential that we would be forced into such a drastic measure.”

“Back in the 1980’s we were experiencing similar declines,” he added.

The famous five-year rockfish moratorium engineered by Winegrad and supporters in 1985 is credited with saving the species from complete collapse.

Read the full story at WUSA 9

Maryland Rockfish Limits Set, Including July Closure

March 30, 2021 — After proposals and public comment, we now know what rockfish limits will look like in Maryland this season.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) issued striped bass harvest regulations for recreational anglers and charter boat clients for the summer and fall fishery, May 16–Dec. 10, 2021. This year will be a split season, closing Maryland waters to all striper fishing July 16–31. No private anglers or charter boat guests and crews may target striped bass, even catch-and-release, during those two weeks.

DNR designed this seasonal closure to avoid the period when water quality and high temperatures are most stressful and harmful to striped bass in the upper Bay, according to DNR’s own data. Virginia and D.C. also have seasonal closures: Virginia closes its striped bass season for the lower Chesapeake from June 15 to October 4, while the Potomac River is closed to all targeting of striped bass fishing from July 7 through August 20.

Outside of the Maryland summer closure period, private recreational anglers may keep one striped bass per day, with a minimum size of 19 inches. Charter boat clients may keep two stripers per day, with a minimum size of 19 inches, provided the boat’s captain participates in DNR’s daily electronic reporting system. During any chartered fishing trip, neither the captain nor mate may land or possess rockfish for personal consumption.

Read the full story at the Chesapeake Bay Magazine

ASMFC Sciaenid Board Supplemental Materials Now Available

March 10, 2021 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Supplemental materials for the March 18th webinar of the Commission’s Sciaenid Management Board are now available at http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/SciaenidBoardSupplementalMaterials_March2021.pdf. They include a de minimis request from the Potomac River Fisheries Commission and public comment. The details of the meeting follow.

Meeting Overview
The Sciaenid Board will consider approval of state implementation plans to reduce recreational and commercial harvest of Atlantic croaker and spot in response to declining trends in abundance and harvest identified in the latest Traffic Light Approach (TLA) report. In October 2020, based on the TLA, the Board initiated a management response as outlined in Addendum III for each species. Specifically, the Addendum requires states to implement a 50-fish bag limit for their recreational fisheries for each species and reduce commercial harvest by 1% of the average state commercial harvest from the previous 10 years. De minimis states, which have minimal commercial and/or recreational fisheries, are not required to change their measures. However, states with more restrictive measures in place are encouraged to maintain them. The Board will also review the Spot Fishery Management Plan Review and state compliance reports, and receive an update on the ongoing red drum simulation stock assessment.

The main meeting materials are available at http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/SciaenidBoardMaterials_March2021.pdf.

Webinar Instructions
To register for the webinar go to https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6403860697365421070, Webinar ID# 815-817-291. The webinar will begin 30 minutes prior to the start of the meeting so that people can troubleshoot any connectivity or audio issues they may encounter. If you are having issues with the webinar (connecting to or audio related issues), please contact Chris Jacobs at 703.842.0790.

If you are joining the webinar but will not be using VoIP, you can may also call in at 877.309.2071 (a pin will be provided to you after joining the webinar); see webinar instructions for details on how to receive the pin. For those who will not be joining the webinar but would like to listen in to the audio portion only, you can do so by dialing 877 309 2071 (access code: 389-114-411).

Public Comment

Submitting Comments Prior to the Meeting
Public comment may be provided in advance of the meeting by sending comments to comments@asmfc.org no later than March 15 (Subject line: Sciaenid Board). These will be distributed to the Board on March 16.

Providing Comments at the Meeting
For issues that are not on the agenda, the Board Chair will provide an opportunity to the public to bring matters of concern to the Board’s attention at the start of the meeting. The Board Chair will ask members of the public to raise their hands to let the chair know they would like to speak. Depending upon the number of commenters, the Board Chair will decide how to allocate the available time on the agenda (typically 10 minutes) to the number of people who want to speak. For topics that are on the agenda, the Board Chair will provide limited opportunity for comment, taking into account the time allotted on the agenda for the topic. The Chair has the flexibility in deciding how to allocate comment opportunities; this could include hearing one comment in favor and one in opposition until the Chair is satisfied further comment will not provide additional insight to the Board.

For more information, please contact Savannah Lewis, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at slewis@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

PUBLIC COMMENT TO SHAPE FUTURE OF ROCKFISH HARVEST

February 11, 2021 — Managing rockfish (striped bass) is like managing the Orioles or Nationals: everybody has an opinion on how to do it. Even as we acknowledge the significant challenges that Major League Baseball managers face, the rockfish issue is a lot more complicated. After all, it concerns tens of millions of fish swimming the Atlantic coast past 13 jurisdictions from North Carolina to Canada. The most recent data indicate that our beloved rock are overfished, and that we are overfishing them. Worse yet, the current version of the management plan in effect along the coast dates from 2003.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), which has legal authority to coordinate and enforce each jurisdiction’s local management plans, seeks to develop a new coastwide plan, to be known as Amendment 7. At its winter meeting last week, ASMFC’s commissioners (made up of three representatives from each Atlantic state, plus the Potomac River Fisheries Commission, the US Fish & Wildlife Service, and NOAA) approved a Public Information Document (PID), asking for written comment from “stakeholders” (that’s any of us concerned with the health of these iconic fish) through April 9. The commission will also conduct public hearings, probably by webinar with dates and information announced on its web site.

It reads, “The purpose of this document [the PID] is to inform the public of the commission’s intent to gather information concerning Atlantic striped bass and to provide an opportunity for the public to identify major issues and alternatives relative to the management of this species. Input received at the start of the amendment process can have a major influence in the final outcome of the amendment.”

Read the full story at the Chesapeake Bay Magazine