WASHINGTON— A drop in the bass population in the Potomac River prompted Maryland leaders to take immediate emergency action.
But new rules announced just two weeks ago aimed at protecting the fish, have already been modified following an outcry from sport fishermen and others.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources says the reasons for the population drop is not exactly clear. But one theory is that several years of intensive fishing were followed by habitat loss due to tropical storms.
The department decided that anglers taking part in Maryland-based fishing tournaments on the Potomac River and in the upper Chesapeake Bay this summer and fall would be limited to catching just one bass per day measuring in at 15 inches or longer.
But after the change was announced March 15, the department received numerous complaints that the rule would hurt the tournament and tourism businesses.
Now, tournaments are being given a second option that allows anglers to catch multiple big bass. But, in exchange, tournament organizers would have to take special steps to reduce the stress on the fish that are caught and hopefully prevent them from dying.
