Tag Archives: Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Tilghman Island Man Sentenced in Fish Poaching Case – conspiring to violate the Lacey Act

U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced William J. Lednum, age 41, of Tilghman Island, today to a year and a day in prison, followed by six months of home detention as part of three years of supervised release, for conspiring to violate the Lacey Act and to defraud the United States through the illegal harvesting and sale of 185,925 pounds of striped bass. Read the rest here 19:39

Conservative regulations likely even though striped bass spawning stock is up

Last week the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced that the 2014 juvenile index which measures striped bass spawning success in Chesapeake Bay is 11.0, nearly equal to the 61-year average which is a big improvement from recent years,,,Striped bass from the Chesapeake Bay area migrate north to Rhode Island and as far as Maine,,, Read more here 19:14

Military-grade radar network watching for oyster poachers ‘It doesn’t sleep’

In the 1860s, poachers struck at night, sometimes in black-painted ships with darkened sails, outlaws raiding protected oyster beds. Lawmakers formed an Oyster Navy armed with cannons, but this police fleet was outgunned in the oyster wars of the 19th century. Today, cannons are out and military-grade radar is in to protect Chesapeake Bay oysters. Read the rest here 18:46

Hard choices for the Chesapeake

ASMFC SidebarThe current position of ASMFC for stripers is that “Projections of female SSB (spawning stock biomass) and fishing mortality suggest if the current fishing mortality rate (0.20) is maintained during 2013-2017, the probability of the stock being overfished is high and increases until 2015-2016, but declines thereafter. Read the rest here 11:31

Confirmation of Maryland Department of Natural Resources head postponed, bill killed – Confrontation with watermen’s association president alleged

A fisheries management bill was killed in the state legislature and a confirmation hearing held up following an accusation that the acting head of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources threatened the livelihood of the state’s watermen’s association president in Annapolis. Read more@somdnews  06:47

Commercial watermen speak vehemently against fisheries bill

The bill, SB145, would define how the natural resources department opens and closes fishing seasons, changes catch limits and modifies where fishing can take place via public notice. Read [email protected]  17:27

Holiday season is time to crack down on oyster poaching in Chesapeake Bay

 The weeks leading to the holidays tend to be the most active for oyster poachers in the Chesapeake Bay, but the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and state police were hoping in recent days that new technology and harsher penalties would help them crack down on illegal oyster harvesting. Read more@baltimoresun  13:10

 

Commercial Striped Bass Hook and Line Harvest Closure – Maryland Department of Natural Resources

The Secretary of Maryland Department of Natural Resources pursuant to Code of Maryland Regulation 08.02.15.12H announces the closure of the 2013 commercial striped bass hook and line fishery, effective at 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday, November 19, 2013.  The annual commercial hook and line quota is expected to be caught by November 19th. Joseph P. Gill Secretary  Maryland Department of Natural Resources 15:00

Maryland Department of Natural Resources responds to watermen lawsuit

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has responded to a lawsuit filed against it on Oct. 18, alleging that menhaden limits were set illegally after not following proper implementation procedure. [email protected]

Watermen,scientists in Maryland – worst crab season in recent memory,blaming weather patterns, an abundance of predators and cannibalism.

It’s definitely an off season,” John “Willy” Dean of Scotland, a crabber who is the president of the St. Mary’s Watermen’s Association, said this week. He said last year he saw lots of very small crabs as he hauled in his pots, evidence supported by the results of an annual survey conducted by Maryland Department of Natural Resources. “We never caught those crabs. Nobody did,” he said. more@somdnews 08:48

 

Harvesters Land and Sea Coalition alleges Maryland Department of Natural Resources illegally set menhaden regulations

EASTON — A recently organized group, the Harvesters Land and Sea Coalition, is calling for the withdrawal of regulations put into effect in June by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources on the total allowable catch of menhaden, alleging that DNR didn’t follow proper procedure for promulgating the regulations. “We’ve tried and tried and tried to work with DNR, and the reason this coalition was started is we can’t do anything else,” Bob Newberry, spokesman for the coalition, said. continued@stardem

Maryland Department of Natural Resources to raise the cost of commercial fishing, crabbing licenses for fisheries management. law enforcement.

For watermen, especially ones who work on the water as a part-time job, the higher fees add to the escalating cost of bait, fuel and equipment. But the increases are needed to maintain the level of management and keep fisheries open, according to two statewide watermen associations that helped develop the new price structure with DNR officials. continued@somdnews

Maryland to limit female crab catch

The Department of Natural Resources announced that it was lowering the  daily allowable catch of female crabs, effective Thursday. The The number of female crabs increased substantially despite the overall  decline, and remained well above the threshold scientists say is needed to  sustain the population. But officials said they would seek to reduce the female  crab harvest by 10 percent as a precaution, to boost prospects for a good spawn  this year and possibly spark a rebound in the highly prized crustaceans. continued

DNR Releases 2013 Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab Numbers

ANNAPOLIS — The Maryland Department of Natural Resources recently released the 2013 Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey numbers, showing mixed results. continued

New DNR program extends to Southern Maryland – tougher penalty system for commercial fishing violations.

SoMd News – Previously, a waterman had to receive multiple convictions before the department could impose a suspension; the new system allows the agency to impose suspensions for a single conviction, according to DNR. Additionally, the state increased the penalty for engaging in commercial fishing with a suspended license, a revoked license or without a license, by establishing a fine of up to $25,000 and imprisonment for up to one year. continued

Waterman cleared of illegal clamming due to lack of notice

There was nothing fishy about a waterman digging for clams in a protected zone  of the Chesapeake Bay because the state natural resources department failed to  publish the area’s specific boundaries, Maryland’s top court has held. Read more

Our view: The good news is that Maryland’s oyster catch is up; the bad is that it’s unlikely to last

According to DNR records, the total number of people licensed to harvest oysters is now about 800, or twice what it’s been in years past. That means a lot of carpenters, house painters, landscapers and others are likely putting down their tools and heading out on the water — and were willing to pay $300 for a license to do so. Read More

Striped bass juvenile index falls below average Maryland Department of Natural Resources

“While we expect large variation in striped bass reproduction from year to year and do not view this low value as an imminent problem, we will be carefully monitoring the results of future surveys,” said DNR Fisheries Director Tom O’Connell. “Three consecutive years of poor reproduction would be necessary to trigger mandatory conservation measures.”http://fis.com/fis/worldnews/worldnews.asp?l=e&ndb=1&id=56219

Chesapeake Bay striped bass numbers slump By Timothy B. Wheeler-The Baltimore Sun

After a near-record high a year ago, the drop in the species could spell trouble for recreational and commercial fishing industry.  The number of young striped bass in the Chesapeake Bay fell to a record low this year, a drastic decline from a near-record high the year before, Maryland officials reported Tuesday. Biologists checking Maryland’s part of the bay found the fewest newly spawned striped bass that they’ve tallied in any year since annual surveys for the fish began 59 years ago, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources reported. http://www.roanoke.com/outdoors/wb/315532

Anglers debate OC offshore wind farm – Dredging and fishing near turbines could (will)be prohibited

ANNAPOLIS — If a wind farm is ever built off the coast of Ocean City, it could enhance recreational fishing by creating artificial reefs, but hurt commercial fishermen who dredge in the area by taking up valuable bottom with cables and lines. A number of steps still need to be taken before the offshore farm, which could include between 50 and 100 wind turbines, becomes a reality. Still, Catherine McCall of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources said the department is taking steps now to minimize the impact on the fishing community. “The largest impact could occur to gear types that tend to make contact with the bottom, so your trolls or your dredges. The connections between each of the turbines require cables or lines and you don’t want people dredging or trolling over that,” McCall said. McCall said where dredging would be prohibited would be decided during the siting process. Depending on who installs the project, all fishing near the turbines could be prohibited for safety reasons. Gov. Martin O’Malley’s Maryland Offshore Wind Energy Act of 2012 passed through the House of Delegates but never came to a vote in the Senate. The bill is not necessary to build a farm but would encourage construction by requiring that Maryland power suppliers get a certain amount of power from wind. Similar legislation is expected in 2013 as proponents continue to try to jump start wind farming in Maryland.

http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20121005/WCT01/310050009/Anglers-debate-OC-offshore-wind-farm