Starting Jan. 1, 2010, Maryland Anglers will need to register with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) before fishing. Anglers can register for free online or by calling a toll-free phone number.

This requirement is an essential part of a national commitment to effectively manage saltwater fish populations. The registry will allow fishermen and policy makers to work together to assess the contributions and impacts of saltwater anglers on ocean ecosystems, coastal economies and fish populations. Since the requirement includes anyone who may catch an anadromous species (fish that travel between salt and fresh waters), anyone fishing in the Chesapeake Bay, its tributaries and coastal waters, must be registered.

“According to a recent NOAA Fisheries Survey, saltwater anglers had an overall economic impact of $82 billion and generated more than half a million jobs nationwide,” said Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Fisheries Service Director Tom O’Connell. “It’s only appropriate that recreational anglers be counted and thereby have a substantial impact on the management and health of coastal fish stocks.”
This initiative, known as the Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP), is designed to produce accurate information that will help determine the condition of fish stocks. This data will allow anglers, fisheries managers and others to effectively and fairly set strategies for ensuring the long-term sustainability of recreational fishing in salt waters.

DNR expects at the beginning of fishing in 2011, the Maryland fishing license will accommodate the requirements for the National Saltwater Registry. But, for 2010, anglers must all register directly with NOAA.

Anglers who do not need to register are those under 16 years old, anglers fishing on a charter boat, commercial fishermen at work, anglers holding highly migratory species permits, and anglers who hold a saltwater license from a state where they are automatically registered. Anglers fishing in one of Maryland’s Free Fishing areas or who are otherwise exempt from buying a Maryland fishing license still need to register with NOAA.
The process is simple and free of charge. On or after January 1, go online here or call 1-888-MRIP-411 (888-674-7411)

Waterkeepers Chesapeake of Maryland and Waterkeeper Alliance (collectively “Waterkeepers”) today filed a detailed, 58 page petition seeking major changes in the way Maryland operates and enforces the Clean Water Act in order to better protect the Chesapeake Bay.

The petition asks the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to withdraw Maryland’s delegated authority to administer the Clean Water Act’s (CWA) pollution permitting program for dischargers in the state. Under the CWA, EPA retains ultimate authority to monitor and control point source discharges of pollutants across the nation through its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program; the Agency typically delegates this authority to the states for implementation. In the petition, filed on behalf of the Waterkeepers by the University of Maryland Environmental Law Clinic, Waterkeepers request that the EPA evaluate the systematic failure of Maryland’s Department of the Environment to properly and effectively administer and enforce the CWA’s NPDES permitting program.

Organizations represented in the petition include: Anacostia Riverkeeper, Assateague Coastkeeper, Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper, Chester Riverkeeper, Choptank Riverkeeper, Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper, Patuxent Riverkeeper, Potomac Riverkeeper, Sassafras Riverkeeper, Severn Riverkeeper, South Riverkeeper, West/Rhode Riverkeeper, and Waterkeeper Alliance.

“If you want to see proof of the failure of Maryland to enforce the CWA within its borders, look no further than the spiraling health of the Chesapeake Bay,” said Michele Merkel, Waterkeepers Chesapeake regional Coordinator “Over the last twelve years, MDE has failed to properly administer the CWA in Continue Reading »

I just got a note from Ken over at the National Coalition of Marine Conservation about a new video they just released that talks about their organization and what they do. Pretty sweet video to check out
A World Without Fish? Save Ocean Predators, Save Their Prey