BALTIMORE, MD—The Chesapeake Bay’s dead zone, an area of hypoxia where low oxygen levels can’t sustain life, was about average in size in 2024, according to a release from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. The annual report, released by the EPA’s Chesapeake Bay Program, comes as leaders in the region prepare to meet in December to discuss the Bay’s cleanup efforts […]
BALTIMORE, MD—The Chesapeake Bay Program this week released new data that shows the underwater grass population in the bay remained steady in 2023. This is a key indicator of water quality and habitat health. According to the data, the total amount of underwater grass in the bay was 82,937 acres. This is a 7% increase from 2022. All or part […]
BALTIMORE, MD—The Chesapeake Bay blue crab population remained healthy in 2024, according to the results of a winter dredge survey released Wednesday, but the population is still low. The survey, conducted by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, found 317 million blue crabs in the bay in 2024, compared to 323 million crabs […]
BALTIMORE, MD—The Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey, a cooperative effort between the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), estimates 323 million blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay in 2023, an increase from last year’s low of 227 million crabs. The number of spawning age female crabs increased from 97 million crabs […]
BALTIMORE, MD—The Chesapeake Bay Foundation has named Dr. Allison Colden as its new Maryland Executive Director. Colden enters the new role after six years at CBF as Maryland Fisheries Scientist. She is among the leading advocates for sustainable fisheries policies to protect important Chesapeake Bay species such as rockfish, oysters, and blue crabs. Her first day in the new role […]
ESSEX, MD—Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski visited the Essex waterfront on Tuesday morning to spotlight the second year of a program to remove derelict crab pots and fishing gear from the bottom of the Chesapeake Bay, and announced a collection site for oyster shell recycling. In conjunction with Maryland non-profit Oyster Recovery Partnership, the County program has mapped thousands of […]
BALTIMORE, MD—The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has announced the results of the 2022 Baywide Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey, a cooperative effort with the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), which annually estimates the number of blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay. The total abundance of blue crab in the Chesapeake Bay in 2022 was 227 million crabs, the […]
TOWSON, MD—County Executive Johnny Olszewski on Thursday highlighted a short-duration Baltimore County project engaging local watermen to remove between 1,500 and 2,500 derelict crab pots and fishing gear from the bottom of the Chesapeake Bay, at the mouth of the Patapsco River off the North Point Peninsula. “Bringing together the environmental science community and county government to work alongside our […]