Maryland oyster season dates, limits set for 2019-2020

BALTIMORE, MD-The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has issued season limits for the 2019-2020 oyster harvesting season. The 2019-20 season will begin October 1, 2019 with no commercial harvesting on Wednesdays, and temporary closures to wild harvesting in certain areas where there is a low abundance of oysters, low natural spat set or where spat-on-shell plantings are being protected, including […]

Maryland submits Chesapeake Bay clean-up plan

BALTIMORE, MD – Maryland has developed a comprehensive plan for the next steps in continued progress in restoring the Chesapeake Bay. The Phase III Watershed Implementation Plan — submitted on Friday to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — was developed to meet Maryland’s pollution reduction targets by 2025 as part of a multi-state bay restoration effort. Maryland developed the plan […]

Chesapeake Bay underwater grasses show resilience despite record rainfall

NOTTINGHAM, MD – The Maryland Department of Natural Resources reported this week that Chesapeake Bay underwater grass abundance fared better than expected in 2018, despite extreme rainfall causing a spike in nutrients and sediments. An estimated 50,015 acres of underwater grasses were mapped in Maryland’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay. Baywide, about 91,559 acres of underwater grasses were mapped in […]

Parking to be prohibited along Belair Road near Gunpowder Falls State Park

PERRY HALL, MD – Due to safety concerns along Belair Road within the Gunpowder Falls State Park – Central Area, parking will be prohibited near the State Park entrance beginning Wednesday, July 3, 2019. The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) will post “No Parking” signs along US 1 between Miller Road and Mount Vista Road, and […]

2019 report shows 60 percent increase in blue crab population

ANNAPOLIS, MD – The annual Blue Crab Advisory Report, released Tuesday by the Chesapeake Bay Program and developed by the Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee, finds that the overall Chesapeake Bay blue crab population is not depleted and is not being over-fished. The blue crab population in the bay increased nearly 60 percent from 372 million in 2018 to 594 million in […]

Operation DryWater underway to keep boaters sober

BALTIMORE, MD – Aiming to keep local waterways safe this holiday weekend, Maryland Natural Resources Police will again join the nationwide effort by local, state, and federal agencies in the tenth annual Operation DryWater. Officers will be on the water providing heightened enforcement and awareness about the dangers of drinking while boating. Boating under the influence continues to be a leading […]