Tuesday, January 24, 2012
The first From the Bay, For the Bay program raised more than $20,000 for Chesapeake Bay restoration efforts.
The From the Bay, For the Bay Dine Out program that many Annapolis area restaurants participated in raised $20,240 in support of the Chesapeake Bay oyster-restoration efforts. Boatyard Bar & Grill in Annapolis was among the top participating restaurants along with Woodberry Kitchen and Ryleigh’s Oyster Bar in Baltimore, and Matchbox Restaurants in Washington, DC, according to a press release. Together they donated $5,626, the release said. The weeklong program in October was a partnership of the state Department of Natural Resources and the Oyster Recovery Partnership (ORP). “Not only did the event raise funds to help us rebuild our native oyster population, it showcased our terrific Maryland seafood and our ongoing efforts to restore the …
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Now is the time to partake in some of Maryland's finest harvest.
While many people think about Maryland blue crabs as summer cuisine, October is a great month for seafood. According to the Department of Natural Resources, a variety of seafood is available this month, including striped bass, crabmeat, oysters, flounder, dogfish, lobster and scallops. From the Bay for the Bay, a promotion to support local watermen while also contributing to oyster restoration efforts, kicked off last weekend and runs through Oct. 9. During this week, restaurants around the region are featuring locally caught seafood. Participating eateries will donate $1 from each seafood dinner sold to the Oyster Recover Partnership in Annapolis. The organization works to replenish the oyster population in the Chesapeake Bay. So treat …
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
State Department of Natural Resources re-opens commercial season after shutting down the operation earlier after discovering a large poaching incident.
John Griffin, the secretary of the state Department of Natural Resources, announced the statewide re-opening of the 2011 striped bass commercial hook-and-line fishery, effective on Wednesday and Thursday. The catch limit for the modified season will be 500 pounds per week per permit. The hook-and-line fishery will remain open in October on Tuesdays and Wednesdays only, with a catch limit of 500 pounds per week per permit. Earlier this year, DNR Police confiscated more than 20,000 pounds of illegally caught striped bass, causing the season to be temporarily shut down in February. The department offered a reward of at least $6,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of person or persons responsible for setting the anchored …
Monday, September 19, 2011
Excessive rain and storms have treated the bay like a garbage can, washing debris out of just about every tributary.
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Monday, September 19, 2011
By Greg Masters Capital News Service Biologists Andrew Watts and Alice Volpitta navigated the muddy, junk-strewn waters of the Chesapeake Bay, testing water quality and finding out just how much dirt and debris the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee dumped into the bay. Stopping their small boat near the mouth of the Patapsco River recently, Watts and Volpitta, who work for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, tested water clarity by measuring the Secchi depth, or how deep a disk could be dropped before it disappeared. "Less than 0.1 meter," Volpitta announced, while Watts recorded. It was the dirtiest water Watts said he had sampled in the bay in his four years with DNR. "I've seen rivers that were dirty like this," Watts said. "But …
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Anglers caught with fish over the limit, female blue crabs, fishing out of season and other violations.
Department of Natural Resources officials said Tuesday they are proposing to suspend the fishing licenses of 61 anglers, including seven from Anne Arundel County. Officials said all of the names on the list have violated some provisions of Maryland fishing laws. These laws are designed to help protect certain species by closing fishing during certain times of the year, implementing catch limits and restricting the posession of female blue crabs, according to the DNR. “These are acts that violate the public’s trust,” DNR Secretary John Griffin in a media release. “These suspensions serve as a warning to any would-be violators that we take any disregard for the laws that protect our fisheries very seriously.” According to the release, …
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
DNR program works to aid injured or stranded sea creatures that can be common sites on Greater Annapolis waters in the summer.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reminds boaters and beachgoers to keep their eyes open for sea turtles and marine mammals while enjoying the outdoors this summe. "If you see an animal that is dead, visibly injured, entangled or appears to be in need of help, call the hotline immediately," Jamie Testa, coordinator of DNR’s Sea Turtle & Marine Mammal Stranding Program, said in a release. "If you would like to report a healthy animal or group of animals you may also call the hotline." According to the release, this time of year residents on the water are likely to see bottlenose dolphins, loggerhead sea turtles and maybe even a manatee. Most animals seen in Maryland waters are free swimming, naturally feeding and healthy. …
Monday, May 16, 2011
Annual running of the carp in Smith Creek are a sure sign of summer in Hillsmere.
Jen McCormick of Hillsmere said she and her family have had some unique visitors to their home along Smith Creek each year since they built there in 2001. Each year in early May the creek swells with carp. So many that her husband, Barry McCormick, was able to catch one in a net from his kayak—which he promptly released back into the creek. “Our house is now up for sale and many of the guys that grew up in this neighborhood told us they would fish in our backyard every spring when they were younger,” Jen McCormick said in an email. “I decided it was time to really see what they were in case someone looking at the house asked us what all the splashing was about. She said they never knew what kind of fish they were until this week. Erik …
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Maryland Department of Natural Resources offers anglers an incentive to reduce population of invasive fish species.
In an effort to minimize the number of northern snakehead fish in Maryland, the Department of Natural Resources is offering anglers an opportunity to win prizes for each snakehead they catch and kill. To qualify for the chance at the prizes, including a $200 rod-and-tackle package, a Maryland State Park passport and a 2012 Potomac River fishing license, photograph the dead fish and include the location of the catch at the Angler's Log. History of the northern snakehead In May 2002, an angler at Crofton Pond (MacQuilliam pond) caught an 18-inch fish that he was unable to identify. He took a picture and then released it back into the pond. The next month, another angler caught a 26-inch fish, which by then was identified as the northern …
