This project will provide a forum for chesapeake stakeholders to share their ideas directly with other stakeholders and fishery managers over the course of four in-person meetings

This $1,000,000 Project Grant awarded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) under the Fisheries Promotion, Marketing and Development program (CFDA 11.427) will provide a forum for Chesapeake Bay stakeholders to share their management ideas for the blue catfish population with fishery managers over 18 months. The project will facilitate four in-person meetings where stakeholder ideas will be heard, recorded, and evaluated by fisheries scientists to model the potential impacts. Participants will work to assess tradeoffs and develop a final consensus set of recommended spatial management options, which will then be provided to fishery managers across the Chesapeake Bay jurisdictions. This iterative decision-making process moderated by a professional facilitator aims to integrate stakeholder input and scientific analysis to inform sustainable blue catfish management in the Chesapeake region.

Everyones ideas will be heard and recorded for managers to consider; and fisheries scientists will integrate the available science to visualize the impacts of their ideas in an iterative strategic decision making process held over 18 months and moderated by a professional facilitator. Participants will work together to assess tradeoffs of the management ideas brought to the forum, and a final consensus set of recommended spatial blue catfish management options will be shared with the fishery managers of each jurisdiction in the chesapeake BAY estuary.