ANNAPOLIS, MD— Governor Wes Moore has commissioned Thomas Miller, a Solomons resident and professor at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, as the 111th Admiral of the Chesapeake Bay, recognizing his decades of work on the Bay’s crucial fisheries.
Moore presented the lifetime achievement award to Professor Miller during a ceremony at the Board of Public Works meeting on Oct. 1, 2025. The honor is bestowed upon individuals who have made an extraordinary contribution to the conservation and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay.
“Thomas Miller has dedicated his career to understanding and applying the best science available to support Maryland’s fisheries and the ecosystem,” Gov. Moore said. “His work has helped to bring together the cooperative crab fishery that we have today in the Chesapeake Bay.”
Miller has served as a professor at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory in Solomons since 1994, where he played a key role in developing the modern scientific understanding and management of Maryland’s recreational and commercial fisheries.
His most influential work centered on the blue crab fishery. As a leader on the Bi-State Blue Crab Advisory Committee in 2000 and 2001, Miller helped guide researchers to a consensus that increasing fishing pressure could threaten the blue crab’s long-term viability. The committee’s 2001 Action Plan was the first to recommend the bay-wide thresholds that Maryland and Virginia now use to prevent overfishing of the iconic species.
Moore noted that Miller’s current research is informing key policy decisions.
“His work will help ensure we have a sustainable long-term future for blue crabs as well as other culturally and economically important Chesapeake Bay species,” the governor said, adding that Miller’s studies are now “informing how we manage changing conditions in the Bay caused by climate change and invasive predators.”
Miller’s scientific expertise has also informed management approaches for other key Bay species, including menhaden and dolphins. He currently serves on the Scientific and Statistical Committee of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and as a scientific advisor to a number of federal and state agencies.
Photo via the Maryland Governor’s Office
Please follow and like us:
Disclaimer: This news has been automatically collected from the source link above. Our website does not create, edit, or publish the content. All information, statements, and opinions expressed belong solely to the original publisher. We are not responsible or liable for the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of any news, nor for any statements, views, or claims made in the content. All rights remain with the respective source.