DNR Scopes White Perch as a Species in Need of Conservation; Comments Due Nov. 13

EASTON, MARYLAND — Maryland fishery managers are asking whether white perch should be listed as a species in need of conservation, and whether every legal gear should face the same 8-inch minimum size. Public comments on the scoping package are due by 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 13.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources says survey data show adult white perch numbers have declined in recent years, and that juvenile production ran below average for eight consecutive years from 2019 through 2026. Consecutive weak year classes are expected to pull adult numbers lower still. Blue catfish predation is listed as an added pressure on the stock.

Since 2000, commercial landings have averaged 1.26 million pounds a year and recreational harvest 1.67 million pounds, the department’s scoping summary says. From those baselines, commercial landings are down 75 percent since 2020 and recreational harvest is down 29 percent since 2022. Today there is no closed season and no daily or annual catch limit for either sector. Hook-and-line catches have no minimum size; other gears already face an 8-inch minimum.

Two management options are on the scoping sheet. Option 1 would set an 8-inch minimum for all white perch harvest in tidal waters and in nontidal streams and rivers, covering recreational and commercial anglers and every gear, including hook and line. Option 2 keeps that rule but would let licensed commercial harvesters take white perch under 8 inches with hook and line in June only, and only as bait in the commercial striped bass hook-and-line fishery until spot show up — not for sale or any other use.

The department says white perch typically mature around age 2–3 but often do not reach 8 inches until about age 5–6, so a universal size floor would leave more fish a chance to spawn before harvest. Ideas went to the Sport Fisheries Advisory Commission and the Tidal Fisheries Advisory Commission in October 2026; tidal commissioners asked for the June bait exception now listed as Option 2.

If the department moves from scoping to a regulation, it projects an effective date in spring 2027. The exact date is not set. Comments go through the comment form linked from the department’s fishing-regulations changes page; the white perch summary PDF is posted with that listing.