The Maryland League of Conservation Voters presented an environmental award to former Gov. Harry R. Hughes last night.

Hughes, who served from 1978 to 1986, is credited with helping restore striped bass populations to the Chesapeake Bay by signing a moratorium on catching the fish, pushing protections for wetlands and helping to pass a ban on phosphate pollutants in detergents.

"Governor Hughes, thank you for the example you have given us," Gov. Martin O'Malley said. "Thank you for taking political power and turning it into a moral force."

The award given to Hughes last night in Annapolis is named for John V. Kabler, one of the founders of the League of Conservation Voters.