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HB0446 amends Maryland’s commercial blue and flathead catfish finfish trotline licensing law and creates the Invasive Blue Catfish Pilot Program. The bill directs the Department of Natural Resources, working with the Invasive Catfish Advisory Committee, to establish and operate pilot efforts aimed at reducing the spread of invasive blue catfish in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. The pilot program includes a for-hire/commercial blue catfish program, a mid- and lower-Bay trotline program, and any other program the Department finds effective.
The bill also limits the Department’s regulatory authority over licensed commercial blue and flathead catfish trotline fishers by providing that regulations may not prohibit a license holder from fishing in the main stem of the Chesapeake Bay south of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. In implementing the pilot program, the Department is encouraged to consider expanded harvesting tools and methods, including electrofishing, longer trotlines, removal of hook-count limits, and use of non-corrodible hooks. The Department must report its findings and recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly by December 1, 2025, and the act is temporary, expiring June 30, 2026.
The bill’s impact on state law is to modify the Natural Resources Article governing commercial catfish trotline licenses and to create a short-term invasive species management program with specific operational directives for DNR. It affects commercial fishers, for-hire operators, and the Department of Natural Resources by expanding or clarifying permitted harvesting practices and by constraining certain regulatory restrictions in the Chesapeake Bay south of the bridge.
Overall sentiment appears supportive and pragmatic, with the bill framed as an invasive-species control measure rather than a broad regulatory change. The absence of recorded committee testimony or vote detail in the provided materials limits insight into specific debate, but the structure of the act suggests a consensus-oriented pilot approach with reporting and sunset provisions. Any contention likely centers on balancing invasive blue catfish removal against concerns about bycatch, user conflicts, and where trotlines should be allowed, since the bill expressly gives DNR discretion to restrict areas based on those issues.
HB0446 amends Maryland’s Natural Resources law governing commercial blue and flathead catfish finfish trotline licenses and creates a temporary Invasive Blue Catfish Pilot Program. It limits Department of Natural Resources regulations so they cannot bar licensed trotline fishers from the main stem of the Chesapeake Bay south of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, while also directing DNR to expand or test additional harvest methods to reduce invasive blue catfish populations. The bill affects commercial fishers, for-hire operators, and DNR’s regulatory authority, and it sunsets on June 30, 2026 after requiring a report to the Governor and General Assembly.
The bill appears generally favorable and practical in tone, with the stated goal of curbing invasive blue catfish in the Chesapeake Bay. Because the provided record contains no committee transcript or vote breakdown, there is no direct evidence of organized opposition in the materials. The inclusion of a pilot program, reporting requirement, and sunset suggests lawmakers wanted to test approaches and revisit the issue later rather than enact a permanent change.
The main points of potential contention are operational and regulatory: whether DNR should be required to allow trotline fishing south of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, how broadly the agency may restrict areas due to bycatch or user conflicts, and whether expanded methods such as electrofishing, longer trotlines, unlimited hooks, or non-corrodible hooks should be authorized. These issues would most directly concern commercial and for-hire fishers, conservation managers, and other Chesapeake Bay users who may be affected by fishing pressure and gear conflicts.