Tell Maryland DNR: Ban Bowfishing Contests That Target Rays

Cownose rays are uniquely vulnerable to overexploitation and population collapse. These rays migrate to the Chesapeake Bay every year to mate and give birth, and because they reproduce slowly and produce very few young, their populations cannot withstand mass killing. 

This is why the Maryland Department of Natural Resources cannot allow them to be killed en masse for entertainment. The DNR must hold the line and permanently prohibit the intentional shooting and killing of rays with projectile gear before irreversible harm is done.

Every spring, the Chesapeake Bay becomes a critical nursery for cownose rays. This is where they bring the next generation into the world. That makes Maryland’s waters not just habitat — but a lifeline. When breeding adults are killed here, the damage ripples far beyond a single season. With late maturity and low reproductive rates, cownose rays are especially susceptible to overfishing and sudden population declines.

Recognizing that risk, the Maryland General Assembly passed legislation banning cownose ray killing contests until a formal fishery management plan is developed. The DNR is working on that plan right now. But when that process concludes, the agency will face a defining choice: protect this vulnerable species — or allow these cruel, unsustainable contests to resume.

This is not in doubt: Bowfishing tournaments are not conservation. They are not wildlife management. They are killing contests where participants shoot rays from boats, often in large numbers, for prizes and bragging rights. Rays frequently swim near the surface, making them easy, defenseless targets. 

That is not fair chase — it is slaughter dressed up as sport.

It is also shockingly wasteful. The rays killed in these events are rarely eaten or used. Many are discarded like trash. That is not stewardship. It is a reckless destruction of native wildlife.

Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay should never again become a seasonal killing ground for vulnerable marine animals.

Maryland must choose science, compassion, and responsible conservation — not cruelty, waste, and political backsliding. Please sign the petition to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources asking them to maintain and strengthen the ban on bowfishing contests that target rays.

The petition to the Maryland DNR reads: Maryland must permanently ban bowfishing contests targeting rays and enact a full prohibition on the intentional shooting and killing of rays with projectile gear in state waters. These animals are highly vulnerable in the Chesapeake Bay, where they mate and give birth, and they cannot sustain mass killing for entertainment. Bowfishing contests are unsporting, cruel, and wasteful, as rays are easy surface targets and are rarely used for food. The Maryland DNR must maintain the existing ban and ensure these contests never return.

Source:

https://savetheraysmd.org/resources/