A marine biologist empties a bucket of tagged blue crabs back into a river.
(Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)

The Sustainable Fisheries Goal Implementation Team works to support the effective management and recovery of Chesapeake Bay species using ecosystem-based science to inform fishery management decisions that cross state boundaries.

Upcoming Meetings

Scope and Purpose

The Sustainable Fisheries Goal Implementation Team (GIT) is composed of state fisheries managers from around the Bay and chaired by the director of the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office. The Sustainable Fisheries GIT draws together a diverse group of managers and scientists to coordinate and facilitate improved management of blue crab and recovery of oysters, while promoting considerations of fish habitat and forage for key managed species like menhaden, striped bass and alosines. The GIT focuses on advancing ecosystem-based fisheries management by using science to make informed fishery management decisions that cross state boundaries.

Through this approach, the Sustainable Fisheries GIT plays a role in sustainable management and policy decisions for Chesapeake Bay fish populations, which support valuable recreational and commercial fisheries, and provide for natural ecosystem function.

Institutions represented on the Sustainable Fisheries GIT include state management agencies, federal agencies, non-profits and academic institutions. Core members form an Executive Committee that meet quarterly. The full GIT membership meets in-person twice per year, typically June and December.

Projects and Resources

Sustainable Fisheries GIT Biannual Meetings

Meeting summaries and supplemental materials from previous Fish GIT Bi-annual meetings

Invasive Catfish Policy Adoption Statement

The Sustainable Fisheries Goal Implementation Team Executive Committee has concluded that the potential risk posed by blue catfish and flathead catfish on native species warrants action to examine potential measures to reduce densities and limit range expansion, and to evaluate possible negative ecological impacts.

Oyster Restoration Success Metrics

Executive Order 13508 Strategy for Protecting and Restoring the Chesapeake Bay Watershed established a goal of restoring oyster populations in 20 tributaries of Chesapeake Bay by 2025, further adding to the need to develop clear restoration goals, quantitative metrics and assessment protocols. This document represents an effort by state and federal agencies directly involved in oyster restoration in the Bay to develop clear and consistent objectives, definitions, sampling protocols and assessment techniques pursuant to achieving this goal and evaluating success.

Publications

Forage Status and Trends Report for the Chesapeake Bay

Published by the Forage Action Team in November 2023, this report summarizes the status of different forage species found within the Chesapeake Bay. It is a culmination of research conducted from 2014 to 2023, and can be used to assess whether key predator populations have enough food. It also identifies remaining knowledge gaps and a path forward for the development of forage indicators.

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Watershed Agreement

Workgroups and Action Teams

Members

Bruce Vogt (Chair), Ecosystem Science Manager, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Address:
200 Harry S. Truman Parkway Suite 460
Annapolis, Maryland 21401

Email:  Bruce.Vogt@noaa.gov
Phone:  ‪(240) 628-4812‬
Ronald Owens (Vice Chair), Potomac River Fisheries Commission
Address:
222 Taylor St
Colonial Beach, Virginia 22443

Email:  ron.prfc@gmail.com
Phone:  804-682-1527
Bruce Vogt (Coordinator), Ecosystem Science Manager, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Address:
200 Harry S. Truman Parkway Suite 460
Annapolis, Maryland 21401

Email:  Bruce.Vogt@noaa.gov
Phone:  ‪(240) 628-4812‬
Christina Garvey (Staffer), Chesapeake Research Consortium
Address:


Email:  christina.garvey@noaa.gov
A.K. Leight, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Address:
tba
tba, District of Columbia 21401

Email:  ak.leight@noaa.gov
Adrienne Kotula, Chesapeake Bay Commission
Address:
60 West Street
Annapolis, Maryland 21401

Email:  Akotula@chesbay.us
Alexa Galvan, Virginia Marine Resources Commission
Address:
380 Fenwick Rd, Bldg 96
Fort Monroe, Virginia 23651

Email:  alexa.galvan@mrc.virginia.gov
Allison Colden, Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Address:
6 Herndon Avenue
Annapolis, Maryland 21403

Email:  acolden@cbf.org
Andrew Button, Virginia Marine Resources Commission
Address:


Email:  andrew.button@mrc.virginia.gov
Bob Beal, Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
Address:
1050 North Highland Street
Suite 200 A-N
Arlington, Virginia 22201

Email:  rbeal@asmfc.org
Carl Friedrichs, Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS)
Address:
Virginia

Email:  carl.friedrichs@vims.edu
Cathy Liu, Maryland Sea Grant
Address:
7998 Regents Drive
College Park, Maryland 20742

Email:  cathyliu@umd.edu
Chris Moore, Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Address:
3663 Marlin Bay Drive
Virginia Beach, Virginia 23454

Email:  cmoore@cbf.org
Phone:  (757) 622-1964
Clint Morgeson, Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources
Address:
7870 Villa Park Drive
Henrico, Virginia 23228

Email:  clinton.morgeson@dgif.virginia.gov
Daniel Ryan, DC Division of Fish and Wildlife
Address:
District Department of the Environment
1200 First Street NE
Washington DC, District of Columbia 20002

Email:  daniel.ryan@dc.gov
David Secor, UMCES Chesapeake Biological Laboratory (CBL)
Address:
146 Williams Street
Solomons, Maryland 20688

Email:  secor@umces.edu
David Sikorski, Coastal Conservation Association
Address:
PO Box 309
Annapolis, Maryland 21401

Email:  davidsikorski@mac.com
Dong Liang, UMCES Chesapeake Biological Laboratory (CBL)
Address:
Chesapeake Biological Laboratory
146 Williams Street / 0038
Solomons, Maryland 20688

Email:  dliang@umces.edu
Donna Bilkovic, Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS)
Address:
1375 Greate Rd
Gloucester Point, Virginia 23062

Email:  donnab@vims.edu
Phone:  (804) 684-7331
Ingrid Braun, Potomac River Fisheries Commission
Address:


Email:  ingrid.prfc@gmail.com
Jaclyn Higgins
Address:


Email:  jhiggins@trcp.org
Jay Lazar, NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office
Address:
N/A
N/A, Maryland N/A

Email:  jay.lazar@noaa.gov
Jim Uphoff, Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Address:
904 South Morris St
Cooperative Oxford Laboratory
Oxford, Maryland 21654

Email:  jim.uphoff@maryland.gov
Jodi Baxter, Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Address:


Email:  jodi.baxter@maryland.gov
John Page Williams
Address:


Email:  johnpagewilliams@gmail.com
John Young, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
Address:


Email:  jyoung@usgs.gov
Jorge Holzer Bilbao, Maryland Sea Grant
Address:
University of Maryland
2116B Symons Hall
College Park, Maryland 20742

Email:  jholzer@arec.umd.edu
Keith Lockwood, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
Address:
803 Front St
Norfolk, Virginia 23510

Email:  Keith.B.Lockwood@usace.army.mil
Kenny Rose, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Address:


Email:  krose@umces.edu
Kevin Schabow, NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office
Address:
200 Harry S Truman Pkwy
Suite 460
Annapolis, Maryland 21401

Email:  Kevin.Schabow@noaa.gov
Phone:  (443) 223-3230
Kinsey Tedford, Oyster Recovery Partnership
Address:


Email:  ktedford@oysterrecovery.org
Lynn Fegley, Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Address:
Maryland Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Service
Tawes State Office Building 580 Taylor Avenue
Annapolis, Maryland 21401

Email:  lfegley@dnr.state.md.us
Phone:  (410) 260-8285
Marjy Friedrichs, Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS)
Address:
Post Office Box 1346 1375 Greate Road
Gloucester Point, Virginia 23062

Email:  marjy@vims.edu
Mary Fabrizio, Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS)
Address:
PO Box 1346
Gloucester Point, Virginia 23062

Email:  mfabrizio@vims.edu
Mary Groves, Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Address:
DNR Inland Fisheries
Rt 4, Box 106E
Brandywine, Maryland 20613

Email:  mgroves@dnr.state.md.us
Matthew Ogburn, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC)
Address:
647 Contees Wharf Road
Edgewater, Maryland 21037

Email:  ogburnm@si.edu
Michael Wilberg, UMCES Chesapeake Biological Laboratory (CBL)
Address:
P.O. Box 38
Solomons, Maryland 20688

Email:  wilberg@umces.edu
Michelle Hamor, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
Address:
803 Front St
Norfolk, Virginia 23510

Email:  michelle.l.hamor@usace.army.mil
Mike Bednarski, Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources
Address:
Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries
P.O. Box 90778
Henrico, Virginia 23228

Email:  Mike.Bednarski@dgif.virginia.gov
Phone:  (804) 367-6878
Mike Hutt, Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
Address:
3530 Mayland Court
Richmond, Virginia 23233

Email:  Mike.Hutt@vdacs.virginia.gov
Olivia Caretti, Oyster Recovery Partnership
Address:


Email:  ocaretti@oysterrecovery.org
Pat Geer, Virginia Marine Resources Commission
Address:
380 Fenwick Rd
Hampton, Virginia 23651

Email:  pat.geer@mrc.virginia.gov
Phone:  757-247-2200
Patrick Campfield, Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
Address:
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
1050 North Highland Street, Suite 200A-N
Arlington, Virginia 22201

Email:  PCampfield@asmfc.org
Peter Himchak, Omega Protein Corporation, Inc.
Address:
Omega Protein Corporation, P.O. Box 85
Tuckerton, New Jersey 08087

Email:  peter.himchak@cookeaqua.com
Phone:  (609)-331-2255
Rese Cloyd, District of Columbia Department of Energy & Environment (DOEE)
Address:
1200 First St. NE,
Fifth Floor
Washington, District of Columbia 20002

Email:  rese.cloyd@dc.gov
Phone:  (202) 997-9607
Robert Latour, Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS)
Address:


Email:  latour@vims.edu
Phone:  (804) 684-7312
Simen Kaalstad, Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
Address:


Email:  SKaalstad@asmfc.org
Thomas O'Connell, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
Address:
11649 Leetown Road
Kearneysville, West Virginia 25430

Email:  toconnell@usgs.gov
Phone:  (304) 724-4401
Thomas Miller, UMCES Chesapeake Biological Laboratory (CBL)
Address:
Chesapeake Biological Laboratory
P.O. Box 38
Solomons, Maryland 20688

Email:  miller@umces.edu
Phone:  (410) 326-7276
Tom Ihde, Morgan State University Patuxent Environmental & Aquatic Research Laboratory
Address:
10545 Mackall Road
Saint Leonard, Maryland 20685

Email:  thomas.ihde@morgan.edu
Tom Parham, Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Address:
Tawes State Office Building
580 Taylor Avenue
Annapolis, Maryland 21401

Email:  tparham@dnr.state.md.us
Phone:  (410) 260-8633
Yan Jiao, Virginia Tech
Address:
110 Cheatham Hall
310 W Campus Dr
Blacksburg, Virginia 24060

Email:  yjiao@vt.edu