Fisheries Service Programs
Shellfish Division
Welcome to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Shellfish Division. We are striving to establish an expanded and sustainable population of native oysters in Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries and to re-establish an oyster industry that re-emerges as a major economic contributor in the Bay region.
Blue Crab Program
As a well known symbol of the Chesapeake region the blue crab is important to Maryland both as a natural resource and tourism icon. In addition to supporting a major commercial fishery, the blue crab is a valuable recreational species as well. For all of these reasons MD DNR and partner organization VA Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) monitors the blue crab population in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries using surveys such as the Winter Dredge and the Summer Trawl surveys. With the information from these surveys crab stocks can be managed and protected for future generations.
Cooperative Oxford Laboratory
The Oxford Laboratory was established in 1960 by the U.S. Bureau of Commercial Fisheries for the primary purpose of investigating oyster diseases that struck Chesapeake and Delaware Bays in the late 1950s. It became the Cooperative Oxford Laboratory in 1987, through an agreement between Maryland DNR and the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service to share the facility and to cooperate in research. In 1998, the newly renovated and expanded facility was dedicated to Senator Paul S. Sarbanes, a friend and mentor to the lab throughout his service in the U.S. Senate. Scientists at the Oxford Laboratory investigate health problems of fish, shellfish and other aquatic life in the Chesapeake Bay and along the Atlantic Coast. They also collaborate with scientists nationally and internationally to improve understanding of aquatic animal health and develop management strategies to prevent and mitigate diseases. The Laboratory participates in the National Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Stranding Network, investigating strandings of these rare and endangered animals in Maryland, and sharing information, samples and expertise with other institutions and coastal states. New techniques for classifying and mapping critical reef habitats in Chesapeake Bay have been developed recently at the Laboratory. These methods are now being applied in Maryland’s oyster restoration efforts.
Tidal Black Bass Program
The mission of the Tidal Bass Survey team is to monitor and protect tidal populations of black bass and enhance its fishery for the State of Maryland. The team began collecting data on the distribution of largemouth bass in 1999, initial efforts started on some of the most fishery-targeted streams of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, including the Potomac River and the Choptank River. Since then, the team has refined and expanded their surveys to the Patuxent River, the Upper Bay region, the Chester River, the Nanticoke River, and the Wicomico River.
Fish Passage Program
In 1987, the first Chesapeake Bay Agreement was signed by states within the watershed, including Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and the District of Columbia. This landmark agreement included commitments by each state, “to provide for fish passage at dams, and remove stream blockages wherever necessary to restore passage for migratory fish.” Since that time, Maryland has partnered with numerous federal, state and local government agencies, non-profit groups, businesses, landowners, and concerned citizens to re-open over 400 miles of stream in Maryland. As a collective group, the Bay States have exceeded a 10-year goal to reopen over 1,357 miles of stream by 2003. By the end of 2004, the States had reopened over 1,570 miles of stream and are now working on completing a new 10-year goal, which calls for 100 fish passage and dam removal projects to be completed and 1,000 miles of tributary habitat re-opened to migratory and resident fish.
Hatchery Programs
The Hatcheries and Finfish Restoration Program operates under the Restoration and Enhancement Program in Maryland Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Service (DNR). The Hatcheries and Finfish Restoration Program is responsible for cold water hatchery production, warm water hatchery production, aquaculture permitting, private pond stocking, fish stock enhancement, fish passage and restoration of anadromous species in the Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay.