{"id":46939,"date":"2026-03-12T10:22:42","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T14:22:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/?p=46939"},"modified":"2026-03-12T14:34:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T18:34:10","slug":"maryland-set-to-adopt-changes-to-chesapeake-bay-recreational-striped-bass-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/2026\/03\/12\/maryland-set-to-adopt-changes-to-chesapeake-bay-recreational-striped-bass-season\/","title":{"rendered":"Maryland Set to Adopt Changes to Chesapeake Bay Recreational Striped Bass Season"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">New rules simplify season structure, increase access, and maintain conservation protection<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_46944\" style=\"width: 810px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Striped-bass-survey-2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-46944\" class=\"size-full wp-image-46944\" src=\"http:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Striped-bass-survey-2.jpg\" alt=\"A scientist holding a fish on a measuring table\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Striped-bass-survey-2.jpg 800w, https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Striped-bass-survey-2-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Striped-bass-survey-2-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-46944\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fisheries biologists survey and tag striped bass in the Chesapeake Bay as part of the annual survey of the population. DNR photo<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is preparing to implement a shift in the season for recreational striped bass, or rockfish. The seasonal shift opens April to catch-and-release fishing and closes all of August to targeting striped bass.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">These adjustments are intended to simplify existing regulations, while allowing more recreational fishing opportunities and protecting striped bass during the hot, final weeks of the summer.<\/span><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">On Wednesday, the Maryland General Assembly\u2019s Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive, and Legislative Review approved DNR\u2019s proposed regulation changes for the 2026 striped bass fishing season. The new 2026 striped bass regulations are scheduled to be published in the Maryland Register on March 20, and they will become effective ten days later.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This timing will enable the return of April catch-and-release fishing for striped bass. DNR is implementing the seasonal shift to enable anglers to catch-and-release striped bass in April when water temperatures are cooler, while closing the month of August for striped bass fishing when hot water temperatures make striped bass more likely to be accidentally killed by hook-and-line fishermen\u2014known as recreational dead discards\u2014while fishing them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The 2026 recreational striped bass season in the Chesapeake Bay will be:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">January 1\u2013April 30: Catch and Release<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">May 1\u2013July 31: Harvest<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">August 1\u201331: Closed<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">September 1\u2013December 5: Harvest<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">December 6\u201331: Catch and Release<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cThe new regulations simplify the recreational and charter boat seasons, making them easier to find and read,\u201d said Kate Charbonneau, DNR\u2019s Assistant Secretary of Aquatic Resources. \u201cWe are allowing for more access to recreational fishing opportunities without increasing mortality or total fish removed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The change has been under consideration for over a year and has been approved after extensive stakeholder engagement and consideration of thousands of public comments. Striped bass is one of the most popular recreational fisheries in Maryland. Recreational fishing and boating generate an estimated $701.5 million in value added economic activity in the state in 2024, according to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bea.gov\/data\/special-topics\/outdoor-recreation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">outdoor recreation statistics<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> compiled by the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Striped bass are managed collectively on the East Coast, and state regulations must align with the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for the species. In 2025, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Striped Bass Board approved Addendum III to Amendment 7 to the Plan for Atlantic Striped Bass, which allows Maryland to change its Chesapeake Bay recreational season baseline. Fisheries scientists developed the seasonal shift to ensure the changes would not result in additional striped bass mortalities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the previous two years in Maryland, all targeting of striped bass in the Bay was prohibited from April 1 to May 15, and from July 16 to July 31, with additional closure areas and periods in specific tributaries.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When striped bass harvest is permitted, anglers may keep one striped bass per person, per day, with a minimum length of 19 inches and a maximum length of 24 inches. During catch-and-release season, officials encourage anglers to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/2026\/03\/09\/safe-catch-and-release-and-avoiding-high-temperatures-helps-protect-striped-bass-research-shows\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">practice techniques that will help the fish survive<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, such as limiting the amount of handling and minimizing air exposure.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The ocean recreational fishery is open year-round with a 28-inch to 31-inch slot limit and a coastwide daily bag limit of one fish.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Spawning rivers will remain closed to targeting from March 1 to May 31 to protect spawning striped bass. Anglers can refer to DNR&#8217;s website for <a href=\"https:\/\/dnr.maryland.gov\/fisheries\/Pages\/sb_reg_maps.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">maps and additional information<\/a> regarding these closures.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_46955\" style=\"width: 458px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"http:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/StripedBassRegs-04-01_04-30.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-46955\" class=\" wp-image-46955\" src=\"http:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/StripedBassRegs-04-01_04-30.jpg\" alt=\"A map of the Chesapeake Bay, showing that the main stem of the Bay is open to catch-and-release fishing during April, while certain spawning tributaries are closed to targeting\" width=\"448\" height=\"580\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/StripedBassRegs-04-01_04-30.jpg 612w, https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/StripedBassRegs-04-01_04-30-232x300.jpg 232w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 448px) 100vw, 448px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-46955\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">In April, the main stem of the Bay will be open to catch-and-release fishing for striped bass, while spawning tributaries will be closed to harvest. See DNR&#8217;s striped bass regulation maps page for additional closures over the course of the year.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Despite an increase in large coastal spawners in recent years, Maryland\u2019s juvenile striped bass survey has <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/2025\/10\/15\/chesapeake-bay-2025-young-of-year-striped-bass-survey-results\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">documented seven years of poor recruitment<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in Maryland waters, and fisheries managers <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/2026\/02\/17\/striped-bass-spawning-success-not-limited-by-zooplankton-dnr-study-suggests\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">continue to investigate<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> the pressures that could be affecting the survivability of very young striped bass.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The current adult population of rockfish is large enough to produce a strong juvenile year class when the environmental conditions are right. Fisheries scientists warn that the effects of the diminished juvenile year classes will likely become more apparent in the coming years, as those year classes mature.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The August closure is intended to better protect resident striped bass during a vulnerable period. Hot air and water temperatures in late summer make young resident fish in the population more vulnerable to dying, even when they are caught and released. Recreational dead discards, when a fish dies after being caught and returned to the water, accounted for 21% of total fishing-related striped bass deaths in the Bay in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/asmfc.org\/resources\/stock-assessment\/atlantic-striped-bass-stock-assessment-update-overview-2024\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">the most recent stock assessment data <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">published in 2022. The August closure is aimed at giving younger resident fish the chance to grow and eventually leave the Chesapeake Bay to join the spawning stock.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The recreational striped bass fishery in Maryland is a significant economic driver that benefits communities throughout Maryland. The season shift will meet the needs of recreational anglers and businesses by bringing fishing opportunities back to the spring and moving the closure from July to August, when there are other species present in the Bay that can be targeted such as red drum.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"http:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/catch-and-release-revised-01.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-46951 alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/catch-and-release-revised-01-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"A graphic showing safe catch-and release techniques: de-hook fish in the water, avoiding fishing on hot days, and use circle hooks.\" width=\"350\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/catch-and-release-revised-01-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/catch-and-release-revised-01-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/catch-and-release-revised-01-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/catch-and-release-revised-01-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/catch-and-release-revised-01.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/a>DNR officials also encourage anglers to pursue invasive blue catfish and Chesapeake Channa, also known as snakehead, by using different fishing methods than those commonly used for striped bass during the striped bass closure. These invasive species have no bag or size limits, and their harvest contributes to a healthier ecosystem in the Bay. Tips and methods for <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/dnr.maryland.gov\/fisheries\/Pages\/blue-catfish\/get_hooked.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">fishing blue catfish<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> can be found on the DNR website.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A fishing license is required to fish for striped bass. Maryland anglers can purchase their licenses online at <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/mdoutdoors.maryland.gov\/login\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">MD Outdoors<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, at DNR service centers, or at sport license agent retailers. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Fishing licenses, as well as tackle, boat, and marine fuel purchases, fund DNR\u2019s fish conservation work.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">More information on Maryland\u2019s state fish and maps displaying the new season structure can be<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/dnr.maryland.gov\/fisheries\/Pages\/sb_reg_maps.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> found on the DNR website.<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The department also shares <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/dnr.maryland.gov\/fisheries\/pages\/catch-and-release.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">guidance on responsible catch and release<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, as well as an <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/dnr.maryland.gov\/fisheries\/pages\/sb_forecast.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">advisory forecast<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for fishing striped bass in the summer.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New rules simplify season structure, increase access, and maintain conservation protection The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is preparing to implement a shift in the season for recreational striped bass, or rockfish. The seasonal shift opens April to catch-and-release fishing and closes all of August to targeting striped bass. These adjustments are intended to<a href=\"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/2026\/03\/12\/maryland-set-to-adopt-changes-to-chesapeake-bay-recreational-striped-bass-season\/\">&nbsp;&nbsp;Read the Rest&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":250,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[957,11],"tags":[3609,5669,3032,5670,3031],"class_list":["post-46939","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-appnews","category-fisheries","tag-blue-catfish","tag-catch-and-release","tag-rockfish","tag-seasonal-shift","tag-striped-bass"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46939","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/250"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46939"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46939\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46952,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46939\/revisions\/46952"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46939"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46939"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46939"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}