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FISHING, CRABBING AND SHELLFISHING
THE
TIDAL POTOMAC
The tidal Potomac River offers some of the finest fishing,
crabbing and shellfishing on the Atlantic coast. The estuary runs from the tidal
fresh waters of Washington, DC to the mid range salinities of the Chesapeake Bay
at Point Lookout, Maryland and Smith Point, Virginia.
The Potomac not only serves as a very fine "fishing hole", it
also serves as the state boundary line between Maryland and Virginia, and is the
home of two other political jurisdictions, the District of Columbia and the
Potomac River Fisheries Commission. The Potomac River Fisheries Commission is a
Maryland and Virginia bi-state Commission, which regulates all fishing on the
tidal mainstem of the Potomac between Washington, DC and the Chesapeake Bay,
exclusive of the tributaries on either side of the river.
Each of these four jurisdictions has the authority to, and
does, publish and enforce rules, regulations and laws dealing with such fishing
matters as seasons, size limits, creel limits and licensing requirements.
Knowing where you are fishing is important because licensing requirements,
season and limits can be, and sometimes are, quite different. It is your
responsibility to know what the laws are where you are fishing, crabbing or
oystering.
The Potomac River Fisheries Commission, in cooperation with the State of
Maryland, Commonwealth of Virginia and the District of Columbia, maintains a
system of day markers at the mouths of the various creeks, bays and inlets,
which are tributary to the Potomac. On several of the larger tributaries,
intermediate spar or can buoys are maintained.
The day markers consist of a 4-foot by 4-foot sign mounted on
a steel piling. They are white with an orange border and black lettering. They
are individually numbered and lettered and are generally located in shoal water
near the headlands of the tributaries. This drawing may be useful in helping you
decide where you are fishing!
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PERTAINING TO LICENSE REQUIREMENTS
OR REGULATIONS IN THE DIFFERENT JURISDICTIONS, PLEASE CONTACT THE APPROPRIATE
AGENCY.
MARYLAND (Except for Potomac River) Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Tawes State Office building, B-2 580 Taylor Avenue Annapolis, Maryland 21401
(800) 688 FINS
www.dnr.state.md.us
VIRGINIA (For Areas Below Rt. 301. Bridge) Virginia Marine
Resources Commission 2600 Washington Avenue Newport News, Virginia 23607
(757) 247-2200
www.mrc.virginia.gov
VIRGINIA (For Areas Above Rt. 301 Bridge) Virginia Department
of Game and Inland Fisheries 4010 West Broad Street Richmond, Virginia 23230
(804) 367-1000
www.dgif.virginia.gov
WASHINGTON, DC D.C. Fisheries and Wildlife Division 51"N"
Street, NE 5th Floor Washington, DC 20002 (202) 535-2260
www.ddoe.dc.gov
POTOMAC RIVER Potomac River Fisheries Commission P.O. Box 9
Colonial Beach, Virginia 22443 (804) 224-7148 or (800) 266-3904
www.prfc.state.va.us
Acknowledgments: Map by Harold Burrell
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