Maryland
Burtonsville man earns ‘Master Angler Award,’ Maryland’s highest fishing honor
A Burtonsville resident was recognized by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources as a master angler, one of the state’s highet honors bestowed upon fisherman, for catching 10 different species of fish at trophy size in the state.
Hien Tram is the 30th person to earn this milestone honor, under FishMaryland, a statewide program offering yearround opportunities for fishing enthusiasts to build community. The program began in 2019.
Tram has been fishing for 30 years and primarily fishes from shore, according to an April 28 announcement by the Natural Resources Department. He is a self-taught angler who credits his fishing knowledge “to watching and learning from other anglers, YouTube videos and magazine articles,” according to a statement.
“There is always something new to learn,” Tram stated. A 49-inch red drum was his favorite award catch, he said.
Tram began fishing locally with friends while he was in high school. He admitted to “even occasionally skipping school to fish with handlines.”
A list of fish he caught that qualified him for the state award, include:
- Carp – 30.5 inches
- Chesapeake Channa – (northern snakehead) – 32 inches
- Hickory shad – 18.5 inches
- Striped bass – 42 inches
- Blue crab – 8.25 inches
- Spotted seatrout – 26.5 inches
- Kingfish – 14.5 inches
- Red drum – 49 inches
- White perch – 13 inches
- Chain pickerel – 24 inches
Photo above courtesy of Hien Tram
Maryland schools made nation-leading strides in their recovery from students’ learning loss in the pandemic, data show.
Maryland schools made nation-leading strides in their recovery from students’ learning loss in the pandemic, according to new data.
They ranked third in the nation in their students’ reading recovery rates, and were fifth in math recovery, according to the 2025 Education Scorecard from Harvard and Stanford Universities and Dartmouth College.
D.C. led the U.S. in math and reading recovery.
The data was presented at the Maryland State Board of Education meeting Thursday.
Trish Brennan-Gac, executive director of literacy nonprofit Maryland READS, said the state board is correct to celebrate gains in reading, but proficiency is “nowhere near where we need to be.”
“It is not that we are No. 3-ranked in reading proficiency,” she told WTOP. “It’s a rate of change, and we are making a faster rate of change,” than most school districts nationally.
Brennan-Gac was at the meeting to ask that the state board consider ways to reduce the use of technology in classroom instruction and support a return to print and textbooks in schools.
“This is no longer a fringe concern. It is a growing movement, and it’s not about social media and phones,” she told the board.
Brennan-Gac said the board and Maryland schools superintendent Carey Wright can take a “visible meaningful leadership role.”
“You can develop transition guidance and funding pathways for districts that are ready to move now, and send a clear signal to the field that Maryland prioritizes developmentally appropriate instruction aligned to brain research that shows how books, not tech-based platforms, are effective in wiring kids’ brains for reading,” she said.
The Maryland State Department of Education has issued guidance to school districts on the use of cellphones in schools, and this year issued guidance on the use of artificial intelligence. In both instances, the state has made clear that it leaves implementation of policies to individual school districts.
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