Environmentalists are decrying language added to a U.S. House spending bill that would open future federally supported oyster restoration projects around the Chesapeake Bay to commercial harvesting.
U.S. Rep. Andy Harris, Maryland’s lone Republican member of Congress, inserted the provision into a bill funding the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The House Appropriations Committee passed the bill on a 32-28 vote in May. It is expected to come up for a vote by the full House in the coming weeks.
The provision is likely to face stiff opposition if it reaches the Senate. A similar measure was stripped out of last year’s funding package before it became law. But it is part of a growing number of efforts in Washington, Annapolis and Richmond aiming to soften or remove the protected status of restored reefs amid the bivalve’s rebound in the estuary.
“It comes at a time when ideas like this maybe have more legs,” said Ben Ford, the Miles-Wye Riverkeeper. “Everyone wants more oysters in the Bay. But people see the success of meeting the oyster restoration goals in the Bay Agreement and think the job’s done.”
Although oyster populations have improved in recent years, they are nowhere near the numbers that existed before the widespread oyster mining of the late 1800s and early 1900s. I'm still in favor of stopping the harvest of "wild" oysters for 5-10 years to find out how well they will be able to flourish in the modern Bay.
When I got to the beach this afternoon, there were a bunch of pelicans sitting on the jetty, and a few were diving in the water:
Manila clams, a popular global delicacy known to also be invasive, could come to the Chesapeake Bay — but might not necessarily harm the ecosystem, experts say.
The exotic species originally from Asia was recently discovered near the northwestern Atlantic coastline off Cape Cod, Massachusetts, one of the last places in the northern hemisphere to remain free of the mollusk, a collaborative team of marine biologists found.
Manila clams make up one of the most heavily cultivated and commercially valuable species in the world. The shellfish, however, can become invasive through its rapid breeding and overtaking native ecosystems, marine ecologist Aly Putnam, who was the paper’s lead author, told The Baltimore Sun.
Matt Gray, a professor in the ecophysiology of bivalves at University of Maryland, told The Sun the saltwater clams would be more likely to populate in the south of the Chesapeake, near Virginia, rather than Maryland because of the saltiness and depth of the water.
“We’ve got all the right habitat, enough food and it’s warm enough to support their reproduction and for them to do well down there,” Gray said.
Experts said the mollusks would have to push against gulf streams to eventually land in the Chesapeake, but could accidentally get moved through ships, both commercial and recreational.
Although the clam is invasive in other ecosystems, until they’re physically in the Chesapeake, it’s unknown whether they would initially cause harm, experts said.
Putnam said the clams can end up being a food resource for different animals in different ecosystems, which is a positive.
Changes in climate, water temperatures and salinity levels make it harder to predict if a species will adapt or impact existing ecosystems, said Julie Luecke, Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Maryland coastal resource scientist, in a statement to The Sun.
Luecke pointed to a nonnative species such as zebra mussels in the Chesapeake directly harming or outcompeting native freshwater mussels.
An exotic species like Manila clams would generally take away resources that would be put into growing native species and their ecosystem services, Gray said.
“I think it’s bad because we’ve got enough problems with our own clams and oysters that we don’t need additional competitors,” Gray said. “But I just want to say that, if it shows up here, it doesn’t necessarily mean it would be invasive.”
I find it amusing that they're worried about a new clam could take away phytoplankton from other filterfeeders, like oysters and native clams. In Chesapeake Bay, for years our main concern has been too much phytoplankton fueling anoxia.
The U.S. Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management (BOEM) began soliciting public comments and industry feedback on potentially leasing more than 2,500 square miles near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay to seabed mining. The public comment period ends July 23.
Minerals targeted for extraction from the ocean floor include manganese, nickel, cobalt and so-called rare earth minerals needed for smartphones, defense systems, medical devices, batteries and other technologies.
Environment Virginia, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Southern Environmental Law Center, Citizens for a Better Eastern Shore and other groups are concerned this could disrupt marine life, commercial fishing and military operations. Dylan Mason, public policy manager with Lynnhaven River NOW, said he’s worried that large sediment plumes from the mining could disrupt migratory species entering the Chesapeake Bay.
In early 2025, President Trump also pointed to environmental, military and fishery concerns in his executive order to pause or cancel offshore wind projects like Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project near Virginia Beach.
BOEM started gauging interest in seabed mining after a company requested to mine the area last November. The lease area is between three and 63.5 miles off Virginia’s Eastern Shore and larger than the state of Delaware. BOEM says the request for comments and feedback should not be interpreted as an indication that seabed mining will be allowed or that the whole lease area will be mined.
I took a brief look at the Federal Register for this request. The area being looked at is surprisingly shallow, 30-410 ft, on the continental shelf. I, a Ph.D. oceanographer was unaware that there were areas with manganese nodules so shallow. I thought they mostly occurred in the abyssal basins, with very low sedimentation rates to interfere with their extremely slow growth rates. At this depth, it should be comparable in terms of environmental impact to oyster dredging or even shell harvesting for oyster aquaculture, and if areas are growing nodules, they probably have relatively little fauna anyway. We need the metals, especially to become independent from the Chinese. I say give it a try, and at least see if it's feasible. I fully expect a Chinese funded environmental campaign against it.
A single fish pulled from a Pennsylvania creek has prompted an unusually strong warning for anglers. As The Trentonian reported, locals are being advised that if they catch this predator again, do not throw it back.
According to The Trentonian, anglers in the Bensalem area are being warned once again a year after a northern snakehead was caught there.
Officials in Bucks County are urging people to kill northern snakeheads, often referred to as "Frankenfish," that they say are still lurking throughout the area, the paper said.
Snakeheads are native to Asia and have gained a troubling reputation in the United States because they are highly adaptable predators, as Pennsylvania's Fish and Boat Commission described.
The Trentonian noted they can breathe air for short periods, survive out of water longer than many fish, and feed on a wide range of prey, including smaller fish, frogs, and crustaceans.
Officials are therefore urging anglers not to return these fish to the water alive, since even one catch can suggest an invasive species is moving into a creek, pond, or river system where it does not belong, the paper said.
Bensalem is up in the Delaware River drainage. Honestly, I don't see how they expect to keep the Snakehead out of that system. Snakeheads are now endemic in the freshwaters of Maryland's Eastern Shore. At the head of those waters, it's just a hop, skip, and a determined wriggle across to streams of the Delaware system.
The Wombat has Rule 5 Monday: Redhead in Denim up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.
Record-breaking water temperatures likely contributed to a fish kill in the Potomac River near Seneca, where Maryland environmental officials recorded an extraordinary 94-degree water temperature following days of extreme heat across the region.If I'm reading the map right, this fish kill occurred up in the riverine Potomac, above Great Falls. I'm not sure I understand their argument about the summer turnover event. However, it was really hot for a few days there.
The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) confirmed the fish kill in a social media post, saying, “We’re aware of reports of a fish kill in the Potomac River near Seneca. Our biologist recorded water temperatures at a record 94°F. This can trigger a summer turnover event, when layered warm and cold water suddenly mix and oxygen-poor water rises to the surface, stressing fish.”
Although the fish kill occurred in Montgomery County, the Potomac River flows south along the borders of Charles and St. Mary’s counties before emptying into the Chesapeake Bay, making the conditions noteworthy for residents, anglers and boaters throughout Southern Maryland.
The fish kill follows several days of dangerous heat across Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic. Air temperatures climbed into the upper 90s and low 100s across much of the state, with parts of Montgomery County reaching about 100 degrees and nearby Washington, D.C., reaching 102 degrees during the recent heat wave.
...
State officials have not announced how many fish were affected or identified the species involved.
This week, Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) shared there will be ‘no change’ to current oyster harvest limits for the upcoming 2026-2027 season. The Statewide Oyster Industry Committee, which includes representatives from 11 county watermen’s associations, voted in support of maintaining bushel limits. This decision reflects current market struggles that have plagued Maryland watermen in recent years.
Despite a growing oyster population in the Bay, watermen have faced numerous economic challenges—from weather to changing markets. The committee supported conservative bushel limits that would prevent more inventory from flooding the market and further depressing prices.
Thanks to significant large-scale restoration efforts, oyster abundance has more than tripled since 2005. A key driver of this success has been Maryland’s oyster sanctuary network. Oyster sanctuaries are areas of the Bay where harvesting oysters is prohibited. These reefs remain protected so they can filter Maryland’s waterways, provide habitat for fish and crabs, and support recreational and commercial fishing. Oysters on sanctuaries also reproduce and repopulate nearby reefs that are open to harvest.
Sanctuaries have helped watermen recover from devastating harvest lows in the early 2000s, with harvest having increased more than 300 percent since the establishment of the sanctuary areas. Today, only 24 percent of Maryland’s oyster reefs are protected as sanctuaries. The other 76 percent remain open to harvest.
Despite more oysters in the Bay, Maryland’s oyster fishery has faced significant economic pressures, including shifting consumer demand, competition from out-of-state fisheries, poaching, and extreme winter weather last season.
This uncharacteristically conservative of MDDNR. Ordinarily, if they found oyster population higher, they would allow more fishing.
The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Happy 250th, America! up in star-spangled glory at the Other McCain.
Maryland is receiving $2 million from the federal government to combat invasive blue catfish in the Chesapeake Bay.
It was one of five projects to receive federal funding highlighted by 3rd District Rep. Sarah Elfreth in Annapolis on Monday.
“We all know how detrimental invasive blue catfish is to the bay,” Elfreth said. “We know that they are eating absolutely everything we know and love, blue crabs, baby oysters, rockfish.
Josh Kurtz, the state secretary of natural resources, encouraged Marylanders to help with t
he effort.
“Yes, delicious, eat it, as much of it as you can. There’s a lot of restaurants in Annapolis that carry it,” Kurtz said. “Several new restaurants are popping up that have some fantastic dishes.”
If all you want is people to go out and kill Blue Catfish, there are a lot of people who would do it for free. Two million would pay for an awful lot of guided trips for Blue Catfish, but I rather expect most this money will end up being spent on working groups, studies, and overhead at academic institutions.
The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Happy 250th, America! up in star-spangled glory at the Other McCain.
As the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission prepares to revisit Atlantic menhaden management later this year, an economic study is adding momentum to shift more of the coastwide quota toward bait fisheries, while recent debate in Virginia continues to highlight disagreements over research and management of the species.
The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP) issued a release on June 24 about a study by Southwick Associates that estimated that recreational fishing trips using Atlantic menhaden as bait generated approximately $1.5 billion in total economic output and supported more than 7,200 jobs nationwide in 2025.
According to the study, anglers spent roughly $804 million on fishing trips involving menhaden bait while using the species during an estimated 13.9 million fishing days along the Atlantic Coast. Of those trips, approximately 2.5 million occurred in New England, with another 6.3 million in the Mid-Atlantic and 5.1 million in the South Atlantic.
"Atlantic fishing trips involving menhaden generate more than $1.5 billion in annual economic output," said Ben Scuderi, lead economist at Southwick Associates. "That figure represents the full spectrum of spending that occurs for fishing trips where menhaden are used as bait, from direct purchases of equipment, food, fuel, and the many other items needed for a day of fishing, to the downstream effects that spending has on retailers, manufacturers, and countless other businesses."
The report arrives ahead of several major Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission decisions expected this fall. In November, the commission’s Atlantic Menhaden Management Board is scheduled to establish a new coastwide total allowable catch for the 2027-28 fishing season and may also decide whether to begin formally reconsidering how state menhaden quotas are allocated.
This bird of prey, called a fish hawk by some, is known along shorelines from Japan to Australia, from India and the Strait of Hormuz to much of Europe and North America. “Ospreys and people have been overlapping since there were people,” said Alan Poole, author of two books about Pandion haliaetus.
In 2023, when Joanie began the Virginia Osprey Foundation out of their cottage at Colonial Beach, she observed robust production of 55 osprey chicks from 36 active nests around the community. Baywide, ospreys were continuing their heartening comeback from the dark days of DDT — from a historic 1972 low of about 1,500 nesting pairs to an estimated 10,000-12,000 pairs now throughout the Chesapeake Bay region.
Then, a sudden and mysterious population crash: Only five chicks reached adulthood in 2024, eight in 2025. Young ospreys were seen walking aimlessly, dazed and apparently starving. There were fish crows stealing osprey eggs as females left them in search of food the males could no longer provide. Adults were eating their dead babies. “That is difficult to watch, and the whole town takes it to heart,” Barry said as they prepared for the town’s seventh annual osprey festival this spring.
Baywide, a similar picture was emerging, with poor nesting success throughout 80% of the estuary and its tidal rivers and an estimated 5,500 young ospreys starving to death, according to Bryan Watts, a Virginia scientist known for his decades of Chesapeake osprey research. Ecologically, cannibalism of dead young “makes energetic sense when calories are scarce,” says Watts, who is the director of William & Mary University’s Center for Conservation Biology. But, Joanie said, it breaks your heart to watch.
The reversal of ospreys’ fortunes has been dramatic and well documented. While scientists mostly think there is no single cause, the decline has reinvigorated a dispute over the commercial harvest of menhaden by Omega Protein. a Canadian company with a fishing fleet based in Virginia.
Omega’s fleet of six ships, guided by spotter aircraft, takes about 125,000 metric tons of menhaden annually, fishing from the lower Chesapeake and along the Atlantic Coast. Menhaden are small, oily fish that are packets of superbly calorie-dense energy, beloved by larger fish like striped bass, and by ospreys. Along with tinier but abundant Bay anchovies and silverside minnows, menhaden form the forage base underpinning the Chesapeake’s productivity.
Watts and others have documented that ospreys are doing worst in the saltier parts of the Chesapeake and Atlantic coastal bays where menhaden make up a critical part of their diets. Only in areas with less salty water, the upper Chesapeake and its tidal rivers, are ospreys producing enough young to sustain their populations — though not enough to offset the plummeting reproduction in the rest of the estuary.
Prey options in fresher water are more varied, with gizzard shad and catfish providing ample calories. Nesting ospreys with young need to catch five or six fish a day to sustain the family.
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One of Watts’s graduate students has shown that osprey reproduction can be revived if humans give them extra menhaden. He has heard from “quite a few people” around the Bay who are feeding hungry ospreys. “I’m fine with that,” Watts said, “but it’s not a solution to the current deficits.”
In recent days, schools of "peanut bunker", 3-4 inch Menhaden have been circling close to shore at the beach. Osprey, on the other hand, seem pretty scarce; I have only seen one most days.
The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Happy 250th, America! up in star-spangled glory at the Other McCain.
 |
| Probably not the Choptank |
A ShoreRivers team monitoring underwater grass beds in the Lower Choptank River in Maryland spotted something unusual in the water recently: a juvenile Skate.
Cownose Rays are common in the Choptank—a major tributary of the Chesapeake Bay—but other Rays and Skates are not.
“It’s unusual because they are a high-salinity animal, so prefer other spots,” says Matt Pluta, Choptank Riverkeeper. “We are more mid-salinity, in the 12-15 ppt (parts per thousand) range.”
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| Definitely not the Choptank |
By comparison, the Atlantic Ocean—the saltiest major ocean— is 33 – 37 ppt.
The fish was located close to Irish Bay, although it hasn’t been seen since. But it’s presence—and an increase in the number of Cownose Rays—tells us something may be changing in local waters. “It tells us we are saltier than normal,” Pluta says.
In case you spot a Ray—or Skate— look but don’t touch. “When it comes to wildlife, keep your distance and just observe,” Pluta recommends.
I've seen a couple of small ones caught in the bay, or washed up dead. Those of us who know better have to remind a lot of folk that the much more common Cownose Rays are not skates.
The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Redness a bit late, but within reason.
In addition to tournament incentives, Maryland is launching a new pilot program designed to support both invasive species management and the state’s charter fishing industry.
The DNR is offering charter boat captains and fishing guides reimbursements of up to $1,500 per trip through a new initiative called the “Reel in the Blues Bonanza.” The program will provide free blue catfish charter trips to randomly selected members of the public during the summer and fall of 2026.
Captains interested in participating must submit an interest form by June 22. Beginning June 24, the state will open registration for members of the public who wish to be entered into a drawing for free blue catfish fishing trips.
Participating captains and guides will be reimbursed by the department for up to $1,500 per trip, including compensation that may exceed the normal cost of a charter and includes gratuities for mates. To qualify, operators must possess a Maryland Waterman ID number, hold a valid U.S. Coast Guard captain’s license when applicable, and report harvest data electronically through Maryland’s FACTS system.
According to Maryland officials, the program is part of a broader strategy to reduce invasive blue catfish populations while collecting harvest information and supporting the charter fleet. State officials indicated similar programs could continue in 2027 and 2028 depending on funding and participation levels.
It might help, but I have a feeling the market for Blue Catfish is pretty well saturated. The captains will go any day they can put a charter together, and most of the time it doesn't seem like they have too much trouble lining up anglers. But if they started offering free, or lower cost trips, from this program, they might grow their customer base.
The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Redness a bit late, but within reason.
