Md. DNR proposes ban on keeping brown trout from Beaver Creek section after fish kill

Julie E. Greene, The Herald-Mail
·4 min read

In response to a large fish kill in Beaver Creek earlier this month, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources is considering not allowing people to keep any brown trout they catch in a long stretch of the creek southeast of Hagerstown, starting as soon as this fall.

Dead brown trout were discovered Aug. 8 in a section of Beaver Creek between Interstate 70 and as far downstream as U.S. 40, a DNR official has said. The fish kill included the special regulation area for fly fishing brown trout to catch and release.

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DNR and the Maryland Department of the Environment are still investigating the cause of the fish kill, but it was "likely the result of a water chemistry/water quality issue associated with runoff during the storm, where contaminants could have been mobilized to the stream and killed fish," according to a statement DNR communications provided from Tony Prochaska, director of the Freshwater Fisheries and Hatcheries Division.

There was a thunderstorm in the region on Aug. 7 that included hail. Over 1.8 inches of rain fell in the Hagerstown area during two intense periods of the storm that afternoon, both occurring within a 2 hour and 15 minute period, according to local weather observer Greg Keefer's website at www.i4weather.net.

The fish kill was "likely not due to infectious disease," with this confirmed by a fish pathologist who observed fish samples, according to Prochaska.

Brown trout that were found dead in Beaver Creek on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023.
Brown trout that were found dead in Beaver Creek on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023.

The event also was likely not caused by severe temperature fluctuations, based on a deployed instrument collecting continuous temperature data.

Other results are still pending.

The fish kill in Beaver Creek has caused concern about the brown trout population over the next few years in a creek that has become a premier fly fishing destination in the state.

Proposed brown trout restriction in Beaver Creek

The "severe fish kill greatly reduced the brown trout population in Beaver Creek," according to a DNR document about the proposed restriction.

DNR shared a public notice via email Friday about the restriction being considered.

The brown trout creel restriction being considered is for a longer section of the creek from the Albert Powell State Trout Hatchery to the confluence with Antietam Creek, according to the DNR document.

The DNR document notes the fish kill occurred Aug. 7 and 8.

"The most productive spawning and juvenile nursery habitat occurs within the Put and Take Trout Fishing Area. Allowing the harvest of the few remaining or transplanted adult brown trout would limit the ability of the population to recover," the DNR document states.

Local watershed official reacts to proposal

Michael Saylor, president of the Beaver Creek Watershed Association, said the proposal "makes sense."

"When brown trout spawn, they spawn in the fall and they move upstream to spawn, so I think the hope is they will move upstream into the area where the fish kill was and lay their eggs and have their little baby fish," Saylor said.

Hopefully, that area of the creek will be repopulated with decent-sized fish in a couple years, Saylor said.

Anglers would still be able to harvest rainbow trout from the creek, according to the DNR document. Rainbow trout are raised at a hatchery and stocked in the creek.

"Any measures that could be taken to limit the harm done to the remaining fish would be a good idea," Saylor said.

Jason Cessna of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources takes dead fish out of Beaver Creek on Aug. 8, 2023. A large number of brown and rainbow trout were found dead in the creek.
Jason Cessna of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources takes dead fish out of Beaver Creek on Aug. 8, 2023. A large number of brown and rainbow trout were found dead in the creek.

"To see the tragedy of a fish kill was pretty sad. It was not something that we expected," Saylor said.

"We as an organization think that DNR is doing a very good job in trying to both find the source of whatever killed the fish as well as trying measures to restore the fishery," he said.

Comment period on proposed Beaver Creek regulation

Natural resources officials are in the "scoping" portion of the proposal, meaning they are gathering suggestions and ideas from stakeholders regarding how to solve the problem.

Comments are due by 11:59 p.m. Sept. 4. They can be submitted:

Natural resources officials are beginning the public comment process into the possible restriction rather than wait for the next meetings of the Sport Fisheries Advisory Commission and Tidal Fisheries Advisory Commission, according to the DNR document. Their most recent meetings were July 18 and 20, respectively.

By proceeding with the regulation process, the change may be included in the 2024 Maryland Guide to Fishing and Crabbing.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Maryland DNR considering ban on keeping Beaver Creek brown trout