ANNAPOLIS — The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is considering changes to the commercial trotline time restrictions in the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries as well as clarifying rules pertaining tot handlines, eel pots and commercial licensing.

This will affect commercial crabbers who use trotlines and recreational crabbers who use handlines and eel pots.

Based on feedback from the Blue Crab Industry Advisory Committee, DNR is considering changing the start and end times for commercial trotline users in the months of April, October, November, and December.

The current harvest times for those months with trotline gear is from sunrise to 10 hours after sunrise. The advisory committee recommended shifting the harvest period back by one half-hour. If adopted, the new harvest period would be from a half-hour before sunrise to nine and a half hours after sunrise. It is not anticipated that this shift would change the total amount of harvest.

With regards to handlines, DNR is considering clarifying that handlines are intended to be fish primarily by hand and not intended to be buoyed. The department is also considering clarifying that eel pots must be used to harvest eels for bait and are not legal crabbing gear. Both of these changes are being considered due to repeated inquiries from the public and the state’s desire to provide the clearest possible rules to the recreational crabbing community.

Lastly, DNR is considering the removal of the statement “A person who owns or is in charge of operating a vessel used to catch crabs for commercial purposes with crab pots shall be licensed by the department” (from COMAR 08.02.03.07) as it is duplicative of commercial licensing requirements elsewhere.

It was the Tidal Fisheries Advisory Commission that recommended changing trotline time restrictions for April and October through December due to the industry’s desire to get crabs to market earlier by taking advantage of the time and light available just before sunrise in these months.

The remainder of the changes are intended to clarify the intent of certain rules or to remove redundant rules from regulation.

Visit the Changes To Fishing Regulations page for more information about what has been proposed and how to submit comments. A virtual Public Hearing over Google Meet (and by phone) will be held 1 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 8 and all comments must be received by 11:59 p.m. Jan. 3, 2022.