Preface: Purpose of this document & how to read the edits

• 
  increased fish and shellfish populations
  
• 
  increased income from improved fisheries
  

DNR established a Hard Clam Fishery Management Plan in 2002, with revisions in 2010. In 2007 legislation was passed prohibiting the hydraulic dredging of clams for commercial catch. Scallops are present in low numbers, most likely limited due to poor habitat conditions.

1. 
   DNR with advice from the Coastal Bays Fishery Advisory Board will prepare and implement a shellfish fishery management plan for the coastal bays. The plan will consider, but is not limited to, the following potential management actions and will determine the best options to help manage for long-term sustainable population. Done?
   

1. 
   Fishery Management strategies to be considered include:
   
   1. 
      increase allowable size to 1 inch (legislative issue)
      
   2. 
      reduce season to mid-October through the end of April 5.1.1 prohibit commercial clamming between the OC airport at marker 13 northward to the Rt. 90 bridge on Saturdays. [Done]
      
   3. 
      limit days of week for harvesting - eliminate Saturday
      
   4. 
      reduce daily limit from 8,000 / day
      
   5. 
      increase natural shoreline buffer (County consideration)
      
   6. 
      limit number of commercial licenses or number of boats allowed 2.1.1 Limit commercial clammers by permit based upon FMP criteria. The permit would be linked to the license and clam rig. Evaluate after 4 years. [also see FMP 5.1.2 and 6.1.3 What is the difference between the 3 actions?]
      
   7. 
      stop allowable 10 percent "tolerance" for undersize clams (make 5 percent?)
      
   8. 
      consider eliminating hydraulic dredging for razor clams in summer (to stop "incidental" catch of 1 bushel hardshell clams when harvesting) hydraulic dredging is currently banned by legislation
      
   9. 
      review questions concerning allowable gear types
      
   10. 
       DNR will investigate why other states do not allow hydraulic clam dredging Done
       
2. 
   Investigate and develop some type of zoning (fixed vs. rotating) and/or sanctuary area strategies to help maintain sustainability. Done
   

3. 
   Consider habitat / stock enhancement. Done
   
   1. 
      start habitat restoration program - increase shell bottom areas 1.1.2. Develop an action plan for improving hard bottom habitat (i.e. shell or other suitable substrate) to reduce predation on small clams. The action plan will include the identification of planting materials and sources, enhancement areas and funding sources (i.e. improved reporting of commercial hard clam harvest will increase funding generated through the shellfish tax which could be used towards bottom enhancement activities).
      
   2. 
      e
      [Note: according to FMP tracking these actions have been completed. Additionally, CCMP actions FW 1.2.7 states “DNR will assist MDA to promote responsible aquaculture by developing incentives to assist fishermen to change to aquaculture where practical and establishing environmentally sound procedures and protocols” and CE 3.3.2 B states “MDA, WC, and DBED will investigate feasibility of aquaculture development”. Do these regulations also apply to fish farming?]
      ncourage / make commitment to mariculture development Clam FMP 3.1.1 Evaluate the legal, institutional and economic incentives and barriers to private aquaculture at the local, state, and federal level in Maryland. 3.1.2 Identify problems with the permitting process and make recommendations to specific agencies to solve those problems. 3.1.1 Simplify the application process and designate a single point contact at DNR MDA to assist potential applicants with aquaculture permits, regulatory questions, permitting process guidance, regulatory obligations, tracking of applications and coordinating state agency permitting activities.
      
   3. 
      investigate costs and benefits of "seeding"
      
4. 
   Determine enforcement needs.
   
   1. 
      increased enforcement by NRP (to determine, e.g., whether clams are being sold to approved buying sites)
      
   2. 
      DNR to include in budget funds for stock assessment / young of year index
      
   3. 
      National Park Service areas need adequate protection
      
   4. 
      2.1.2 Develop and implement a reporting plan to improve the collection of catch, effort and economic data from the commercial hard clam fishery to assist managers in evaluating the impacts of future management decisions.
      
   5. 
      5.2.1 and 5.2.3 DNR will establish a maximum noise level limit for commercial vessels consistent with the recreational limit. DNR-NRP will monitor the causes of reported noise complaints to facilitate future management decisions related to this issue.
      
   6. 
      5.2.4 DNR will investigate the impacts of prohibiting or restricting the written permission provision that allows an individual to catch hard shell clams with a hydraulic dredge with the shoreline setback of 300 feet.
      

2. 
   DNR will investigate the effects of hydraulic clam dredging on the coastal bays environment. Research needs may include:
   

1. 
   Water quality, benthic community issues Done
   

1. 
   direct impacts through increased suspended sediments, re-suspension of toxic chemicals
   
2. 
   indirect impacts by decreasing the number of filter feeders in the bays
   

2. 
   Habitat: SAV beds Done
   

1. 
   direct impacts by physical disruption
   
2. 
   indirect impacts by lowering available light through increased suspended sediments
   

3. 
   Benthos (e.g., overwintering blue crabs as well as other shellfish, worms, etc.) Done
   

1. 
   direct impacts through physical disruption
   
2. 
   indirect impacts through increased sedimentation
   

4. 
   Spawning horseshoe crabs (May and June especially) Done
   

3. 
   DNR will continue to monitor the progress of bay scallops in the coastal bays: Done
   
   1. 
      DNR will review historic accounts to help determine best potential areas for reestablishment.
      
   2. 
      DNR will integrate all habitat variables into site selection process.
      
   3. 
      DNR will determine where and when any fishery activity would be permissible.
      
4. 
   UMD will investigate use of disease-resistant oysters and establish where economically sound and environmentally safe. Delete
   
5. 
   4.1.1 DNR, WC and MCBP will develop and distribute a public outreach brochure illustrating recreational clamming areas, access points, methods and harvest restrictions and
   
   1. 
      4.1.2 DNR will work with the OC and WC to improve access to recreational clamming areas.
      
   2. 
      4.1.3 DNR will investigate the feasibility of planting seed to establish and/or enhance areas for recreational clamming, and if feasible, develop a seeding strategy.
      
   3. 
      4.2.1 DNR will reduce the recreational catch limit for hard clams from 1 bushel to 250 hard clams per person per day [DONE]
      
   4. 
      5.1.3 DNR will reduce the by-catch allowance of hard clams for recreational purposes in the hydraulic dredge fishery from 1 bushel to 250 hard clams per person per day.
      
   5. 
      6.1.1 DNR and MCBP will educate the public on the ecological effects of hydraulic clam dredging and the importance of the commercial hard clam fishery to the coastal bays community.
      

• 
  a Shellfish Management Plan (with emphasis on hard clams), unique to the coastal bays, will balance commercial fishing and environmental interests.
  

Blue crab populations have natural population cycles due to a large number of environmental factors (e.g., weather offshore that pushes larvae into bays as well as food abundance and habitat). Generally, data shows that there is a relatively stable blue crab abundance in the coastal bays. Although abundance has fluctuated widely, this is a normal occurrence that has been documented in the Chesapeake Bay. Crabs are short lived and available to the commercial fishery for only about one year before they die. This means that when there is a poor larval survival or heavy winter mortality, there is no buffer to prevent fluctuations. In addition to natural causes of variability, fishing pres­sure, parasites, and habitat loss can cause populations changes.

DNR established a Blue Crab Fishery Management Plan in 2001, with revisions in 2010. The most recent summary report can be found online: 2010 Maryland FMP Report (July 2011) Section 10. Maryland Coastal Bays Blue Crab. Monitoring indicates that crab abundance in the Coastal Bays fluctuates without a trend and represents a relatively stable population.

1. 
   DNR, with advice from the Coastal Bays Fisheries Advisory Board, will develop and implement a blue crab fishery management plan for the coastal bays that considers but is not limited to the following suggested changes in harvest practices: Supplement – use crab population and harvest numbers are ecological & economic indicators of watershed health
   

1. 
   Develop an enforceable time limit. For example, have commercial fishermen check pots every 24 hours (e.g., Use orange clothes pins).
   
2. 
   Change beginning and/or end of seasons (legislative action).
   
3. 
   Decrease effort (commercial pressure).
   

1. 
   Limited entry by:
   

1. 
   limited number of licenses (regional & designated areas)
   
2. 
   enforcement of only ONE license per boat
   
3. 
   not allowing pot haulers
   

2. 
   Investigate setting daily time restrictions [3.1.2b] similar to those in the Chesapeake Bay to prevent a shift in crabbing effort from the Chesapeake to the Coastal Bays during years when crab abundance is low (i.e. in 2001 prohibit the taking of crabs for commercial purposes between 2:00 – 5:30 a.m.).
   
3. 
   Develop an enforceable pot limit of 150-300 pots per license.
   
4. 
   3.1.2a Gear restrictions – prohibit the taking of blue crabs by scrape and dredge to prevent [overfishing?] and lessen the impacts on blue crab habitat.
   
5. 
   3.2.1 DNR will continue to prohibit the harvest of sponge crabs, and limit the taking of female crabs in the Coastal Bays through the use of:
   
   1. 
      Area closures where female crabs are concentrated. These areas have been identified but require further delineation:
      
      1. 
         Convention Hall area- roughly between 36^th and 50^th streets.
         
      2. 
         The Thorofare site in southern Isle of Wight Bay.
         
      3. 
         The Bridge site, just north of the Verrazano Bridge on the barrier island side.
         
   2. 
      Catch and Size limits – determine if the current catch and size limits for female crabs are appropriate.
      
   3. 
      3.2.2 DNR will investigate the economic impact of prohibiting the possession and sale of sponge crabs within the state.
      
6. 
   2.1.1 Adopt a Coastal Bays overfishing threshold consistent with the Chesapeake Bay that preserves a minimum of 10 percent of the blue crabs spawning potential (F₁₀ %) and a fishing target that preserves 20 percent (F₂₀ %) of an unfished stock.
   
7. 
   2.1.2 DNR will work towards implementing the necessary research and monitoring programs to determine the appropriate fishing mortality rates that will achieve the established fishing target of F₂₀ percent.
   
8. 
   2.2.1 DNR will establish, implement and evaluate a commercial reporting monitoring program to obtain accurate catch and effort data form commercial crabbers in Worcester County consistent with recommendations of the Atlantic Coast Cooperative Statistics Program.
   
   1. 
      Evaluate the effectiveness of the daily logbook reporting system implemented in 2000 for commercial crab harvesters and dealers in Worcester County.
      
   2. 
      Consider using the Chesapeake Bay’s commercial crab reporting system, but make it specific to the Coastal Bays, including more detailed information on location of harvest and effort data.
      
   3. 
      3.1.1 Improve the accuracy of effort data in the Coastal Bays.
      

4. 
   Modify equipment requirements.
   

1. 
   Review cull ring regulations. For example, should cull ring dimension be changed to accommodate local crab body shape?
   
2. 
   Require terrapin exclusion devices on all pots within a set distance from shoreline or in tidal tributaries. 3.3.3 DNR will continue to require terrapin excluders in crab pots set for noncommercial purposes, encourage watermen to install terrapin excluders in commercial crab pots, and investigate the feasibility (i.e. effects on catch; economic impact) of requiring terrapin excluders in all crab pots set in the Coastal Bays.
   
3. 
   Restrict bait in Jimmy pots (no fish bait) to limit capture of green peelers.
   

5. 
   Water zoning concepts.
   

1. 
   Investigate limiting use of crab pots in tributaries. Allow the Coastal Bays the same resources to collect ghost pots as the Chesapeake Bay
   
2. 
   Closure of overwintering areas to hydraulic clam dredging. 5.2.1 DNR will identify and protect blue crab overwintering areas in the Coastal Bays by:
   
   1. 
      Delineating and mapping overwintering areas
      
   2. 
      Prohibiting hydraulic clam dredging in important overwintering areas year-round, unless data indicates that these areas can be opened on a seasonal basis.
      
   3. 
      3.3.2 Determine if measures are necessary to reduce the by-catch mortality of crabs in the hydraulic clam dredge fishery.
      
3. 
   2.5.1 DNR will examine methods/studies to better understand the natural ecological functions of blue crabs in the Coastal Bays, including the establishment of a Marine Protected Area in the Coastal Bays.
   
4. 
   1.4.2 DNR will define the criteria under which a Marine Protected Area can be effective in assessing the impacts of Hematodinium on blue crabs and 5.2.1 if effective in protecting crab overwintering areas.
   

6. 
   Increase Enforcement/Education.
   

1. 
   Better education on current regulations. (e.g., current regulations require a 2 5/16 inch cull ring, on all pots not made from unstretched mesh measuring less than 1 inch or at least 2 inches on each side, from June 1 through April 22). 3.3.1 DNR will require unobstructed cull rings in crab pots form June 1 through April 30, and will adjust cull ring requirements based upon further research (peeler pot cull ring study being planned on Chesapeake Bay).
   
2. 
   Increase enforcement personnel to ensure conservation needs are met in addition to boater safety (include locals through NRP auxiliary “reserve” program).
   
3. 
   Have a check-in station at Public Landing and Georges Island Landing that could check for undersized crabs and green peelers.
   
4. 
   2.1.5 DNR will examine the utility of developing a public outreach indicator(s) of blue crab abundance that can be used to inform the community on the annual status of blue crab stocks in the coastal bays.
   
5. 
   6.11 DNR will consider increasing the number of enforcement personnel in the coastal bays, specifically during the crabbing season. 6.12 Also consider expanding the Natural Resource Police reserve officer program.
   

7. 
   Determine recreational catch. 2.3.1 DNR will design and implement a recreational crabbing survey in the Coastal Bays consistent with the pilot recreational crabbing survey in the Chesapeake Bay.
   
   1. 
      4.1.1 Obtain information on satisfaction levels of recreational crabbers to evaluate the effectiveness of management efforts.
      
   2. 
      4.1.2 Examine the effects of habitat quality on the success rates of recreational crabbing.
      

8. 
   4.1.3 DNR and MCBP will develop and distribute the following information pertaining to the recreational crab fishery in the Coastal Bays:
   
   1. 
      Crabbing restrictions
      
   2. 
      Access points for crabbing (i.e. boat ramps and piers)
      
   3. 
      Maps of land-based public access and boat based crabbing locations, list of boat ramps and marinas with rental boats and recreational crabbing tips.
      
9. 
   4.1.4 DNR, MCBP, OC and WC will work towards increasing the number of land-accessible areas for recreational crabbing.
   
10. 
    3.3.4 MCBP will coordinate an annual/seasonal volunteer effort to locate and remove derelict pots.
    

2. 
   Collect and analyze relevant information.
   

1. 
   Research parasite further. Delete
   
   1. 
      1.4.1A Assess the impact of Hematodinium in the Coastal Bays crab population. Identify what intensity of infection causes mortality and identify other factors, environmental and/or biological, that may influence blue crab mortality.
      
   2. 
      1.4.1B Identify factors which influence Hematodinium proliferation, elucidating different life stages, determining the full life cycle of the parasite, and eventual production of a more specific diagnostic tool either by immunoassay or molecular assay techniques.
      
   3. 
      1.4.1C Examine how crabs become infected with Hematodinium.
      
2. 
   Analyze independent fishery data for population information. Keep
   
   1. 
      2.1.4 DNR and MCBP will encourage research that examines the stock – recruitment relationship of blue crabs in the Coastal Bays, level of localized reproduction and entrapment of larvae, and effects of environmental parameters which influence fluctuations in crab abundance.
      
   2. 
      5.4.2 DNR will identify areas which have unsuitable levels of dissolved oxygen (<3 mg/L) for blue crabs.
      
3. 
   Investigate abundance and impacts of green crabs and other invasive, non-indigenous crab species [2.4.1], and evaluate the following management strategies related to green crabs: Modify this action to implement the education recommendations.
   
   1. 
      2.4.2a DNR will prohibit the possession and sale of imported green crabs, and promote the harvest and sale of locally harvested green crabs.
      
   2. 
      2.4.2b DNR will prohibit the importation and sale of green crabs.
      
   3. 
      2.4.4 MCBP will develop an outreach program (i.e. brochures) to educate the coastal bays community on the impacts of exotic species.
      
4. 
   Investigate whether the early season pressure on Jimmy’s and “peeler potting” has an impact on the ratio of male/female crabs and thus reproductive success. Done
   

3. 
   [NEW CCMP ACTION?] DNR, MCBP and the Fishery Advisory Committee will identify high priority research needs to better enable DNR, MCBP, Universities and others to obtain support for funding;
   
   1. 
      2.1.3 DNR will work towards allocating funds specific to the Department’s Coastal Bays blue crab monitoring program and data analysis.
      
   2. 
      2.3.2 DNR will identify potential funding mechanisms to fund and complement monitoring efforts (i.e. recreational crabbing survey and overfishing thresholds: F₁₀ % and F₂₀ %).
      
   3. 
      2.4.3 DNR will continue to work with Maryland’s Non-Indigenous Species Task Force to examine invasive species issues, and develop an Aquatic Nuisance Species Plan to become eligible for Federal funding.