It pays to spend all week at a fisheries meeting! As Candy Thomson reported on our Web site, Maryland's rockfish season will from now on be managed by Maryland Natural Resources officials:

"For the first time in 15 years, Maryland striped bass anglers will have a spring trophy season designed and managed by state fisheries officials.

By an overwhelming margin, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission yesterday relinquished control of the state's most popular and lucrative season for 2008, thereby eliminating an annual quota that was often exceeded and allowing Maryland to regulate its season the way other Eastern Seaboard states do.

State officials say their management plan will protect the striped bass - Maryland's state fish, commonly known as rockfish - while providing increased opportunities to recreational anglers and the declining charter-boat industry. The monthlong season is worth $7 million to the state economy."

You can read the whole article here.

Charter boat captains and sportfishermen rejoiced. But perhaps no one was happier than Howard King, who has worked at Maryland's Department of Natural Resources for 38 years and will soon be retiring. He's been pressing for the change for a long time, and lost a similar vote last year.