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The Maryland Department of Agriculture expanded its spotted lanternfly quarantine to include a total of 17 counties and the city of Baltimore. The quarantine is effective immediately, and restricts the movement of regulated materials that might contain the spotted lanternfly in any of its life stages, including egg masses, nymphs, and adults. 

The Maryland Department of Agriculture has taken a significant step in its ongoing efforts to control the invasive spotted lanternfly. The department has announced the expansion of its spotted lanternfly quarantine zone to include two new counties – Charles and Garrett – effective immediately. This quarantine restricts the movement of regulated articles that might contain the spotted lanternfly in any of its life stages, including egg masses, nymphs, and adults.

The Chesapeake Bay Nutria Eradication Project (CBNEP) historically used working dogs to locate invasive nutria populations across the Delmarva Peninsula. As nutria populations decreased, the transition to detection and detector dogs was necessary. Dogs can be trained to smell the evidence of specific animals and plants in an area without visual identification.  

Governor Wes Moore is calling on the federal government to declare the expanding population of invasive fish species—including blue catfish, flathead catfish, and snakehead—to be an ongoing commercial fishery disaster in the Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay. The governor sent a letter [Mar 2023; PDF, 2.4 MB] to U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo requesting the declaration under provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and the Interjurisdictional Fisheries Act. The declaration would qualify Maryland for federal fishery disaster assistance.

The short story of invasive fishes in Maryland.
See also: Report an aquatic invasive using Maryland Invasive Species Tracker (MIST); tool for the public to help the state track invasive species in its waterways.

See also: Maryland Invasive Plants Prevention and Control for more information about the Maryland Invasive Plant Regulations

Are you a crabber, waterman, or concerned citizen? We need your help to detect and assess the status of Chinese Mitten Crabs. The "Mitten Crab Watch" website provides information on the invasion of the mitten crab and allows users to more easily report catches.

Please help us detect live mitten crabs by reporting any sighting in North America. We are especially interested in collecting sightings from the Chesapeake Bay, Delaware Bay, Hudson River, and San Francisco Bay --- where the crab has been common in the past. Please visit the Mitten Crab Watch website to learn more about the crab and to report sightings.

Maryland renamed the northern snakehead to the Chesapeake Channa in April 2024. The name change aims to increase public interest in eating the fish and control its population. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources will begin changing the name on January 1, 2025.
See also: Senate Bill 207 / House Bill 19

See also: Invasive Plants for more resources