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*sb0610*
SENATE BILL 610
M2 EMERGENCY BILL 6lr3358
CF HB 947
By: Senator Mautz
Introduced and read first time: February 5, 2026
Assigned to: Education, Energy, and the Environment
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
Senate action: Adopted
Read second time: March 5, 2026
CHAPTER ______
AN ACT concerning 1
Department of Natural Resources – Commercial Invasive Blue and Flathead 2
Catfish Finfish Trotline License Pilot Program – Alterations 3
FOR the purpose of altering the commercial blue and flathead catfish finfish trotline license 4
to allow a person to catch blue catfish with certain gear Invasive Blue Catfish Pilot 5
Program to include the Blue Catfish Gill Net Program; and generally relating to the 6
commercial blue and flathead catfish finfish trotline license Invasive Blue Catfish 7
Pilot Program. 8
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 9
Article – Natural Resources Chapter 171 of the Acts of the General Assembly of 2025 10
Section 4–701.2 11
Annotated Code of Maryland 12
(2023 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 13
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 14
Chapter 172 of the Acts of the General Assembly of 2025 15
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 16
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 17
Chapter 171 of the Acts of 2025 18
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 19
That: 20
2 SENATE BILL 610
(a) The Department of Natural Resources, in coordination with the Invas ive 1
Catfish Advisory Committee, shall establish the Invasive Blue Catfish Pilot Program. 2
(b) The purpose of the Pilot Program is to curb the spread of the invasive blue 3
catfish in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. 4
(c) The Pilot Program consists of: 5
(1) the For–Hire/Commercial Blue Catfish Program; 6
(2) the Mid– and Lower–Bay Blue Catfish Trotline Program; [and] 7
(3) THE BLUE CATFISH GILL NET PROGRAM; AND 8
[(3)] (4) any other program that the Department determines to be 9
effective in curbing the spread of blue catfish in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. 10
(d) (1) Under the For –Hire/Commercial Blue Catfish Program, the 11
Department may: 12
(i) authorize eligible participants to run for –hire and commercial 13
fishing trips simultaneously; and 14
(ii) make any regulatory or administrative changes it believes will 15
increase the commercial harvest of blue catfish. 16
(2) (i) Under the Mid– and Lower–Bay Blue Catfish Trotline Program, 17
the Department shall authorize the use of finfish trotlines south of the William Preston 18
Lane Jr. Memorial Bridge to the maximum extent feasible to harvest blue catfish. 19
(ii) The Department may restrict the areas south of the William 20
Preston Lane Jr. Memorial Bridge where finfish trotlines may be used to harves t blue 21
catfish based on potential bycatch, user conflicts, or other issues it considers relevant. 22
(e) In implementing the Pilot Program, the Department shall consider for the 23
harvest of blue catfish: 24
(1) authorizing the use of electrofishing; 25
(2) authorizing the use of finfish trotlines of up to 2,400 feet in length; 26
(3) eliminating any limits on the number of hooks used on a finfish trotline; 27
and 28
(4) authorizing the use of hooks that are not corrodible. 29
SENATE BILL 610 3
(f) The Department shall: 1
(1) expand the use of practices determined to be effective under the Pilot 2
Program throughout the duration of the Pilot Program; and 3
(2) continue to implement and update the Pilot Program until the 4
termination date of this Act. 5
(g) On or before December 1, [2025] 2026, AND EACH DECEMBER 1 6
THEREAFTER, the Department shall report to the [Governor] SENATE COMMITTEE ON 7
EDUCATION, ENERGY, AND THE ENVIRONMENT and THE HOUSE ENVIRONMENT 8
AND TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE, in accordance with § 2 –1257 of the State 9
Government Article, [the General Assembly ] on [its] THE ACTIVITIES OF TH E PILOT 10
PROGRAM DURING THE IM MEDIATELY PRECEDING YEAR, INCLUDING findings and 11
recommendations under the Pilot Program. 12
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act is an emergency 13
measure, is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public health or safety, has 14
been passed by a yea and nay vote supported by three –fifths of all the members elected to 15
each of the two Houses of the General Assembly, and shall take effect from the date it is 16
enacted. It shall remain effective through June 30, [2026] 2030, and, at the end of June 17
30, [2026] 2030, this Act, with no further action required by the General Assembly, shall 18
be abrogated and of no further force and effect. 19
Chapter 172 of the Acts of 2025 20
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 21
That: 22
(a) The Department of Natural Resources, in coordination with the Invasive 23
Catfish Advisory Committee, shall establish the Invasive Blue Catfish Pilot Program. 24
(b) The purpose of the Pilot Program is to curb the spread of the invasive blue 25
catfish in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. 26
(c) The Pilot Program consists of: 27
(1) the For–Hire/Commercial Blue Catfish Program; 28
(2) the Mid– and Lower–Bay Blue Catfish Trotline Program; [and] 29
(3) THE BLUE CATFISH GILL NET PROGRAM; AND 30
[(3)] (4) any other program that the Department determines to be 31
effective in curbing the spread of blue catfish in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. 32
4 SENATE BILL 610
(d) (1) Under the For –Hire/Commercial Blue Catfish Program, the 1
Department may: 2
(i) authorize eligible participants to run for –hire and commercial 3
fishing trips simultaneously; and 4
(ii) make any regulatory or administrati ve changes it believes will 5
increase the commercial harvest of blue catfish. 6
(2) (i) Under the Mid– and Lower–Bay Blue Catfish Trotline Program, 7
the Department shall authorize the use of finfish trotlines south of the William Preston 8
Lane Jr. Memorial Bridge to the maximum extent feasible to harvest blue catfish. 9
(ii) The Department may restrict the areas south of the William 10
Preston Lane Jr. Memorial Bridge where finfish trotlines may be used to harvest blue 11
catfish based on potential bycatch, user conflicts, or other issues it considers relevant. 12
(e) In implementing the Pilot Program, the Department shall consider for the 13
harvest of blue catfish: 14
(1) authorizing the use of electrofishing; 15
(2) authorizing the use of finfish trotlines of up to 2,400 feet in length; 16
(3) eliminating any limits on the number of hooks used on a finfish trotline; 17
and 18
(4) authorizing the use of hooks that are not corrodible. 19
(f) The Department shall: 20
(1) expand the use of practices determined to be effec tive under the Pilot 21
Program throughout the duration of the Pilot Program; and 22
(2) continue to implement and update the Pilot Program until the 23
termination date of this Act. 24
(g) On or before December 1, [2025] 2026, AND EACH DECEMBER 1 25
THEREAFTER, the Department shall report to the [Governor] SENATE COMMITTEE ON 26
EDUCATION, ENERGY, AND THE ENVIRONMENT and THE HOUSE ENVIRONMENT 27
AND TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE, in accordance with § 2 –1257 of the State 28
Government Article, [the General Assembly ] on [its] THE ACTIVITIES OF TH E PILOT 29
PROGRAM DURING THE IM MEDIATELY PRECEDING YEAR, INCLUDING findings and 30
recommendations under the Pilot Program. 31
SENATE BILL 610 5
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act is an emergency 1
measure, is necessary for the immediate preser vation of the public health or safety, has 2
been passed by a yea and nay vote supported by three –fifths of all the members elected to 3
each of the two Houses of the General Assembly, and shall take effect from the date it is 4
enacted. It shall remain effectiv e through June 30, [2026] 2030, and, at the end of June 5
30, [2026] 2030, this Act, with no further action required by the General Assembly, shall 6
be abrogated and of no further force and effect. 7
Article – Natural Resources 8
4–701.2. 9
(a) There is a commercial blue and flathead catfish [finfish trotline] license. 10
(b) (1) The license authorizes the holder to catch for sale [blue and flathead] 11
IN THE TIDAL WATERS OF THE STATE: 12
(I) BLUE CATFISH USING , AS DEFINED IN DEPARTMENT 13
REGULATIONS: 14
1. A FINFISH TROTLINE; OR 15
2. A GILL NET WITH A MESH SIZE OF NOT MORE THAN 7 16
INCHES; AND 17
(II) FLATHEAD catfish [in the tidal waters of the State ] using a 18
finfish trotline, as defined in Department regulations. 19
(2) A licensee shall fish in accordance with Department regulations. 20
(c) A person who wishes to obtain the license shall complete and submit an 21
application for the license to the Department or any person designated by the Department. 22
(d) An applicant for the license does not need to hold a tidal fish license under § 23
4–701 of this subtitle to be eligible for the license. 24
(e) The term of the license is 1 year from September 1 through August 31 the 25
following year. 26
(f) The annual license fee is $15. 27
(g) A licensee may not transfer a license issued under this section. 28
(h) A licensee shall have a commercial blue and flathead catfish [finfish trotline] 29
license in the licensee’s possession when the licensee fishes under the license. 30
6 SENATE BILL 610
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act is an emergency 1
measure, is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public health or safety, has 2
been passed by a yea and nay vote supported by three –fifths of all the members elected to 3
each of the two Houses of the General Assembly, and shall take effe ct from the date it is 4
enacted. 5
Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.