A new website and smartphone app will help Maryland-area anglers who care about conservation collect and share data about Chesapeake Bay sport fish. Chesapeake Catch is a project led by Maryland-area anglers to gather voluntary information from all anglers to better inform themselves and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources in fisheries management decisions and policies.
Chesapeake Catch will record information about Maryland’s most popular fish: rockfish (striped bass), redfish (red drum), speckled trout, croaker, yellow perch and shad. All other tidal and freshwater species, including invasives, can also be recorded. Anglers can record details and photos of their fish in a personal log, including information about species caught, time spent on the water, general area, and the length and catch-or-release disposition of each fish. The information collected by anglers voluntarily in the field will directly inform better management decisions and, in turn, conserve the resource and provide for a better fishing experience.
“Anglers have a huge investment in good fisheries management, because we want more fish to catch for years to come,” said Ed Liccione, Chair, Coastal Conservation Association Maryland. “Chesapeake Catch helps us track what we’re catching and connect with other anglers, but also makes our catch count in decisions about conservation and management.”
Chesapeake Catch is a local affiliate of Angler Action, which pioneered the movement by anglers to collect their own data to inform fishery management in communities nationally. Angler Action first launched in Florida with an app and website for recreational anglers to log data about snook catches after a frightening die-off. The data helped inform snook recovery with managers at the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission. Angler Action data was used in the 2011 Snook Stock Assessment and has been requested for inclusion in other stock assessments and research studies.
“Good data makes for good management, and both make for better fishing,” said Bill Goldsborough, Director of Fisheries, Chesapeake Bay Foundation. “We can all have a voice in better fisheries management with Chesapeake Catch, and I encourage all anglers who care about the future of fishing in Maryland to download the app.”
“Chesapeake Catch is a unique example of a project bringing together recreational anglers, conservationists and fisheries managers in order to gather more information about and protect Maryland fisheries,” said Tom O’Connell, Director, Fisheries Service, Maryland Department of Natural Resources. “This information is going to be very valuable to our work.”
Other participants in the working group behind Chesapeake Catch include fishing guides, prominent recreational fishing bloggers, and other avid anglers active in well-known organizations such as the Maryland Sportsman’s Foundation, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, Environmental Defense Fund, and Maryland Saltwater Sportfishing Association (MSSA).
Write a Letter to the Editor on this Article
We encourage readers to offer their point of view on this article by submitting the following form. Editing is sometimes necessary and is done at the discretion of the editorial staff.