Two recent studies by Maryland Department of Natural Resources scientists – one about underwater grass habitat and another on a major invasive threat – highlight how research findings can inform fisheries management. A study led by DNR biologist Dr. Joseph W. Love, published in Ecological Modelling (May 2024), modeled the effects of habitat and catch-and-release mortality on largemouth bass populations. Another study by Dr. Love and coauthors Branson D. Williams, Tim Groves, Ross Williams, and Mary Groves examined the movement of blue catfish and was published in Estuaries and Coasts (May 2025). “DNR’s fisheries management strategies are rooted in science,” said DNR Fishing and Boating Services Associate Director Tony Prochaska. “These two publications provide data that inform how we can manage two very different species, one we work to conserve and another we are trying to control.” A GIS-based Approach for Managing Catch-and-Release Fisheries The conservation of largemouth bass, the state’s most popular recreational sportfish, has been a priority for anglers and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources for decades. More than 20 years of monitoring data on largemouth bass populations in the upper Chesapeake Bay watershed were compared with habitat data to model the roles that habitat and angling have on protecting the […]
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