A tasty meal might not be the only thing waiting on the end of your fishing line.
Anglers can earn money for catching invasive fish species as part of the Reel Rewards program, hosted by the Environmental Justice Journalism Initiative.
Participants will earn $30 for every invasive fish head they catch within the program boundaries and bring to a designated drop-off location.
Fish species that are invasive to the region include northern snakehead, blue catfish, and flathead catfish.
New this season, the program is expanding its boundaries beyond the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River to include all of the Baltimore Harbor area down to the former site of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
Running from April 26 to July 26, the program will support local anglers, help scientists and environmental managers track data on invasive fish species, and reduce the invasive species’ populations in the region.
Participants can register for free on the program website.
Details about the program boundaries, drop-off locations and hours, how to tell the difference between invasive and native fish, participation requirements, and other information can be found on the Environmental Justice Journalism Initiative website.
Invasive species, like the snakehead, have been shown to negatively impact other species who call the Chesapeake Bay watershed home.
The Reel Rewards program is just one of many efforts to cull the region’s invasive species. Earlier this year, Maryland launched two pilot programs to incentivize commercial watermen and charter boat captains to catch blue catfish.
