A Sport Fishing Survey in the Vicinity of a Steam Electric Station on the Patuxent Estuary, Maryland

Abstract

An interview-count sport fishing survey was conducted from May 1971 through April 1972 within 10,340 acres of the Patuxent Estuary, from Jacks Bay to Holland Cliff, including the effluent canal of the Potomac Electric Power Company’s steam electric station (SES) located at Chalk Point, Maryland. An estimated 41,238 angler trips, totaling 170,535 hours, were made within this area of the Patuxent Estuary during the period sampled. These anglers caught 383,900 fish, of which 176,900 were kept and 207,000 were returned to the water. The average angler spent 4.1 hours per trip and harvested 1.0 fish per hour or 4.0 fish per trip. White perch dominated the catch with 188,200 caught and 102,900 harvested. Of 69,500 striped bass caught, 66,000 were under the legal size limit of 12 inches and were returned to the water. Spot were taken throughout the estuary during June through October, with 19,500 being harvested. Small catches of spot continued to be reported only within the heated effluent canal during November, December, and March. Over 50 percent of all angler trips were made to the heated effluent canal of the Chalk Point SES, with over 90 percent of these trips being made during the cooler seasons from October through April when little or no fishing occurred within other areas of the estuary. An estimated 13,500 recreational crabbers spent 59,200 hours and harvested 101,700 crabs from May through 2 November. These crabbers averaged 1.7 crabs per hour and 7.5 crabs per trip. Results are compared to a similar sport fishing survey carried out within this area of the Patuxent Estuary prior to the operation of the SES.