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In an effort to monitor invasive northern snakeheads in the Chesapeake Bay and Blackwater River, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announces a new tagging program in conjunction with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Both agencies are placing yellow or blue tags on up to 500 northern snakeheads. Each tagged northern snakehead caught and harvested from now until 2024 could be rewarded with a gift card of $10 or $200 depending on the tag.

In order to qualify, the harvester must report the tag number to USFWS at 800-448-8322, and is asked to take a picture of their harvested and tagged northern snakehead. Only harvested northern snakeheads with reported tags will qualify for gift cards.

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On Aug. 9, 2011, the department in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Penn State Cooperative Extension confirmed the presence of Thousand Cankers Disease in black walnut trees in Bucks County. Since this pest complex cannot be eradicated in Pennsylvania, and since black walnut is of high value to the forest products industry and to forest and urban ecologies, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture is joining with state and federal agencies and Penn State Cooperative Extension to slow the spread of TCD in the state through monitoring and quarantine. For more information or to report a possible case of Thousand Cankers Disease on walnut please contact your Pennsylvania local county cooperative extension office or contact the Invasive Species Hotline at 1-866-253-7189 or Badbug@pa.gov.

See also: Forest Health - Diseases for more resources

Thousand cankers disease is a fungal disease of walnuts (Juglans spp.) that is carried from tree to tree by a small bark beetle called the walnut twig beetle (Pityophthorus juglandis). It has killed countless ornamental black walnut trees in the western U.S. and was found for the first time in the eastern U.S. in 2010. The first recorded incident of thousand cankers disease in North Carolina (Haywood County) was confirmed in late fall, 2012. Please report the location and descriptions of potentially positive trees to 1-800-206-9333 or newpest@ncagr.gov.

Thousands of invasive fish have been removed from the Chesapeake Bay watershed at the Conowingo Dam earlier this year and donated to local food banks through a continuing partnership between Maryland Department of Natural Resources and others. During the 2024 season, which ran from March to June, more than 18,000 pounds of invasive fish (blue catfish, flathead catfish, and northern snakehead) were removed from Maryland waters.