CHESAPEAKE BAY, Md. - A Maryland General Assembly joint committee has approved the Department of Natural Resources proposed changes to the upcoming striped bass fishing season, including a full closure in August.
DNR says the Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive, and Legislative Review approved the adjustments to the striped bass season on Wednesday, March 12. The committee’s approval was needed to have the new regulations published in the Maryland Register on March 20 and become effective ten days later.
DNR says the timing of the approval will allow catch-and-release fishing for striped bass in the Chesapeake Bay in April and a full closure in August.
The adjusted 2026 striped bass season will be as follows, according to DNR:
-January 1–April 30: Catch and Release
-May 1–July 31: Harvest
-August 1–31: Closed
-September 1–December 5: Harvest
-December 6–31: Catch and Release
During harvest times, DNR says anglers on the Chesapeake may keep one striped bass per person per day with a minimum length of 19 inches and a maximum of 24 inches.
“The new regulations simplify the recreational and charter boat seasons, making them easier to find and read,” said Kate Charbonneau, DNR’s Assistant Secretary of Aquatic Resources. “We are allowing for more access to recreational fishing opportunities without increasing mortality or total fish removed.”
DNR and conservationists have supported the proposed season adjustments as a way to protect an already vulnerable striped bass population in the Chesapeake. Researchers say juvenile striped bass surveys have shown poor recruitment in Maryland waters over seven years.
In opposition to the proposed changes, some Maryland lawmakers have introduced legislation that would ban DNR from establishing a recreational catch-and-release season and implementing an August closure. That bill currently remains in its initial senate committee review.
Numerous watermen have also staunchly opposed DNR’s proposal, especially the August closure, citing potential economic harm to their livelihoods.
DNR has maintained that the August closure is aimed at giving young fish that could be fatally injured during catch-and-release in hot weather a chance to grow and join spawning stocks.