Winter in the Chesapeake: Where Are the Ducks?
It’s the time of year where rafts of ducks fill Island Creek for good eating — and usually hunters are out looking for the same thing. But this winter has seen few arrivals thus far. Give Cap’n Jack a shout if you’ve spotted some of the ducks listed here.
Message from a Cap’n: Season of Jellyfish, Turtles, Ospreys
With the water temperature in the 80s, jellyfish are taking over. Bad news for swimmers. Good news for oysters.
Waterfowl Blinds Licensing Open ’23-24 Season
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is offering an online process for Maryland hunters to apply for a 2023-2024 waterfowl blind site license, which reserves a location for a landowner or authorized individual to place a hunting blind.
MD Offers Free Fishing Day on July 4
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources offers a license-free fishing day for all state residents and visitors on Tuesday, July 4.
Catch a Snakehead & Maybe Win a Prize
The northern snakehead tagging program is continuing this summer in an effort to spur removal of invasive fish from Maryland’s waters.
Message from the Cap’n – Osprey Return
Two of the most famous osprey couples of Island Creek — Mr. and Mrs. Perfect and Mr. and Mrs. Bennet — returned to their nests March 5, 2023, from their winter digs in Central America. For the second year, the Perfects have defied osprey tradition by arriving together. And now the Bennets have accomplished this feat as well.
Catfish Still Problem in Chesapeake
Wet, Wet, Wet times brought catfish downriver with the lower salinity to the point that they have become a dominant species. Catfish dominance became obvious in 2018, still the wettest year on record for the Chesapeake Bay watershed, its impacts still affecting the rivers today. Now 2022 has clocked in as the third wettest year on record in Maryland, suggesting the trend is likely to continue.
Can Soft Shell Clams Revive Aquaculture?
Fifty years ago, soft shell clams were so plentiful in the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay that we used them for fish bait or sold them when we could for about $2 per basket. Today, they’re rare as hen’s teeth, and Morgan State University scientists hope to help make soft shell clams a viable aquaculture product, boosting the shellfish industry.
DNR: Still Time to Order Trees, Shrubs
Orders are being accepted for the spring 2023 planting season for shrubs and trees from the John S. Ayton State Tree Nursery, managed by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Special Hunt Day for Vets, Military, Youth
Maryland’s youth hunters, veterans, and military personnel will be afforded a unique opportunity to experience Maryland’s tradition of waterfowl hunting Feb. 4, 2023.
