ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley has appointed Roger Trageser, president of the Maryland B.A.S.S. Federation Nation, to the Maryland Sport Fisheries Advisory Commission.
A resident of Baltimore, Trageser is one of 12 members who represent the diverse sportfishing interests in Maryland, including saltwater and cold water anglers, guides and charter captains, as well as conservation groups. Members advise the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) on matters related to their expertise.
“I’m still getting my feet wet,” said Trageser, who owns a small electrical contracting company. “I’m not an expert on rockfish, bluefish or croaker, so I’ll be taking in information, as well as representing the interests of bass fishermen.”
Trageser said he believes that his participation on the Maryland Fisheries Task Force helped raise the profile of BASS and earn him the position on the commission. “My involvement led to a couple of fisheries people saying that there’s not enough freshwater representation,” he said.
Since becoming president in 2005, Trageser said that he has made a determined effort to improve his federation’s relationship with DNR. “Because of what we’ve done, bass fishing is bigger on the radar screen, no doubt about it,” he said. “We’re not an unknown segment of fishermen anymore.”
