Photo by spesbach2002

Although the scope of the recent major discovery of illegal fishing nets in the Chesapeake Bay continues to widen, Maryland Department of Natural Resources officials gave local commercial fishermen a respite by reopening fishing season for two days, Friday and Monday. DNR police found another illegal 400-yard-long anchor net Wednesday morning with up to several hundred pounds of caught rockfish, adding to the 10 tons of confiscated fish found earlier this month. The Maryland DNR closed fishing season on Feb. 4 in response to what many consider the latest major scandal to hit the area.

While our dinner plates may see less rockfish as restaurants choose to use other, cheaper, locally-caught fish, most media reports indicate that two other groups have been hardest hit: local fishermen, such as those on Kent Island, and Maryland wildlife police. Our local watermen have taken an immediate blow to their wallets by the DNR’s decision. Now they have at least two days to salvage their incomes. Though, we can’t fault officials who are are trying prevent going over the fishing quota, while dealing with increasingly underhanded poachers with limited enforcement resources.