Welcome to fish facts, a collection of information about the wide variety of fish you can find in the state of Maryland. Below are listings of fish and aquatic life that are common to Maryland waters. The individual fact sheets provide identification information as well as where you can find the species, what they eat, breeding patterns and resource concerns.

Before you go fishing, make sure you know the rules and regulations for the individual species, so you know if you are allowed to catch them, how big they must be and when it is legal to do so.

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American Eel Anguilla rostrata		Longnose Gar Lepisosteus osseus
American Shad Alosa sapidissima		Menhaden Brevoortia tyrannus
American Gizzard Shad Dorosoma cepedianum		Monkfish Lophius americanus
Atlantic Croaker Micropogonias undulatus		Northern Pike Esox lucius
Atlantic Sturgeon Acipenser oxyrhinchus		Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss
Black Drum Pogonias cromis		Red Drum Sciaenops ocellatas
Black Sea Bass Centropristis striatus		River Herring Alosa pseudoharengus & Alosa aestivalis
Bluefish Pomatomus saltatrix		Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieu
Bluegill Lepomis macrochirus		Spiny Dogfish Shark Squalus acanthias
Brook Trout Salvelinus fontinalis		Spot Leiostomus xanthurus
Brown Trout Salmo trutta		Spotted Seatrout Cynoscion nebulosus
Blue Catfish Ictalurus furcatus		Striped Bass/Rockfish Morone saxatilis
Channel Catfish Ictalurus punctatus		Striped Burrfish Chilomycterus schoepfii
White Catfish Ictaluarus catus		Tiger Muskie Esox masquinongy x Esox lucius
Chain Pickerel Esox niger		Walleye Stizostedion vitreum
Common Carp Cyprinus carpio carpio		Weakfish Cynoscion regalis
Summer Flounder Paralichthyus dentatus		White Marlin Tetrapturus albidus
Hickory Shad Alosa mediocris		White Perch Morone americana
Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides		Yellow Perch Perca flavescens

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Shellfish
Bay Scallop Argopecten irradians		Blue Crab Callinectes sapidus
Eastern Oyster Crassostrea virginica		Horseshoe Crab Limulus polyphemus
Hard-shell Clam Mercenaria mercenaria

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You can find more information on these species and others at the following link with the DNR's Chesapeake and Coastal Bay Life: http://www.dnr.state.md.us/bay/cblife/fish/index.html

The Fisheries Service also has information available online that provides survey data of juveniles of various species from the striped bass seine survey. Please check out the information at: http://www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/juvindex/index.html

Interested in the Snakehead?
Northern Snakehead
Channa argus
Check out this snakehead page for more information