BALTIMORE, MD—Last month, the U.S. Department of Commerce notified Maryland Governor Wes Moore that it had declined Maryland’s request for a federal commercial fisheries disaster declaration that was sought to help address the economic and ecological damage caused by the spread of invasive catfish and snakeheads in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Maryland made the unique request in March as a […]
BALTIMORE, MD—Thousands of Marylanders began the New Year by hitting the trails. A total of 4,248 people hiked about 10,691 miles during First Day Hikes in 40 different Maryland state parks on New Year’s weekend, according to data collected by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Between December 31, 2023 and January 1, 2024, park rangers led 47 scheduled hikes […]
WASHINGTON, DC—Two winged representatives from the Maryland Park Service attended the White House this month. Rehabilitated bald eagles Buck and Mo, along with a contingent of Maryland Park Service Rangers, were invited to the White House to celebrate the anniversary of the Endangered Species Act, which was signed into law 50 years ago this week. “Bald eagles are such a […]
ANNAPOLIS, MD—This week, Governor Wes Moore was unanimously elected to serve as chair of the bipartisan Chesapeake Executive Council during a meeting hosted by the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C.. The council, which serves as the primary policy and leadership body of the formal Chesapeake Bay Partnership’s effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay, is comprised of the nine signatories […]
OCEAN CITY, MD—Two new records for new species have been established in the Atlantic Division of the Maryland state fishing records program. Angler Chris Stafford of Cherry Hill, N.J. caught a pompano dolphinfish (Coryphaena equiselis) weighing 2.0 pounds on September 20, and Ellicott City resident Stephen Humphrey caught a great barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda) weighing 13.0 pounds on October 6. Both […]
ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Wes Moore this week announced that more than 1.7 billion new juvenile oysters have been planted on sanctuary and public oyster fishery sites in Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay this year, surpassing an ambitious 2023 planting goal and setting a new annual record. The milestone means that the state has planted almost 7 billion oysters since launching its large-scale oyster […]
BALTIMORE, MD—The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has officially recognized Bobby Graves of Salisbury as the third official state record holder for the Florida pompano (Trachinotus carolinus) in the Chesapeake Division. Graves caught the record-breaking 6.44-pound fish in the Chesapeake Bay near Bloodsworth Island, Dorchester County, on September 17. He caught this impressive pompano while fishing for spotted sea trout […]
BALTIMORE, MD—A Somerset County resident has officially been recognized by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources for a new state fishing record in the Chesapeake Bay Division for sheepshead (Archosargus probatocephalus). Brian Summerlin, of Princess Anne, caught the 16.6-pound fish September 17 in Tangier Sound off Crisfield in about 15 feet of water. Summerlin was targeting sheepshead using soft crab […]