The Chesapeake Bay
"flag ponds III" by scott1346 is licensed under CC BY 2.0 (Flag Ponds Nature Park, Lusby, Maryland)
by Dale Mayo
The Chesapeake Bay watershed includes not only the estuary itself, but also the 50 rivers that enter the bay. One reason the Chesapeake Bay watershed is so large is that it includes the streams that feed rivers, including the Susquehanna River, which has a northern branch (with its headwaters in Otsego Lake at Cooperstown, New York) that meets a western branch (originating in western Pennsylvania) in central Pennsylvania and flows through six states and the District of Columbia before pouring into the Chesapeake at Havre de Grace, Maryland.[1], [2] The map (copied from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s website) shows the extent of the watershed. The Chesapeake Bay itself is a 200 mile long estuary with wetlands, marshes, and beaches.
By 9000 years ago, native American inhabitants were living in the region of the Chesapeake and using its resources. In 1607, Captain John Smith explored the bay and reported finding many tribes of Algonquian-speaking American Indians in eastern Virginia including the Powhatan chiefdom. The Commonwealth of Virginia has formally recognized 11 tribes.[3]
The Chesapeake Bay hosts more than 350 species of fish and supports hundreds of bird species – resident and migratory birds of the Atlantic Flyway that are drawn to its marshes and waters.[4], [5] Hundreds of species of mammals live in the watershed – deer, raccoons, opossums, skunks, squirrels, rabbits, muskrats, foxes, and otters are common sights in woodlands, fields, and shorelines.[6]
Problems Faced by the Bay
Any contaminants in the watershed can eventually end up in the bay. For example, in the 1960s and 1970s, a pesticide (kepone) was manufactured and illegally dumped (by Allied Chemical) into the Appomattox River in Hopewell, Virginia. This then contaminated the James River and hence the Chesapeake Bay, resulting in fish consumption advisories, fines, financial hardship for watermen, and increased environmental awareness. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) has been working with the city of Hopewell and other partners on various projects designed to improve the city’s Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint goals and improve the environment around the city for its inhabitants.[7] This one contaminant on a tributary of the Chesapeake brought a realization of potential pollutants from the entire 64,000 square miles of watershed. These include agricultural runoff, air pollution, stormwater, sewage and septic system discharge.
The attention focused on the poor condition of Chesapeake Bay in the 1970s had a good outcome – a seven-year study of the issues (starting in 1976) and a written agreement that continues to guide the restoration of the estuary and its watershed. The Chesapeake Bay Program partnership includes federal and state agencies, local governments, academic institutions, and 60+ non-governmental organizations.[8] Chesapeake Bay Foundation staff members served as resources to the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Chesapeake Bay Study. The CBF developed and expanded its capabilities to assist in the capacity to provide education and support for the cleanup and restoration of the bay.[9]
"Brown pelican adult and chick" by U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Northeast Region is marked with CC PDM 1.0 With the banning of DDT and other toxic pesticides, bald eagles, brown pelicans, and peregrine falcons have returned to the Bay.[10]
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
The Bay and its watershed are wild and beautiful, and the many parks and preserves provide widely varied recreational opportunities. In addition to offering people a place to swim, sail, birdwatch and camp, the healthy Bay ecosystem is vitally important to the health of fish, shellfish, crustaceans, bird and other wildlife. Fortunately, there are many organizations devoted to preserving and re-constituting rivers, bays, and ocean habitats. There are organizations focused on global issues, regional issues, rivers, oceans, groups dedicated to endangered wildlife, and even specific species. Many organizations deserve attention and contributions.
The Chesapeake Bay is important to Sizzlefish.com because we deliver softshell crabs and crab cakes sourced from region. The founder of Sizzlefish.com, Rob Mayo, grew up on the Lynnhaven Bay – the first southern inlet entering the Chesapeake Bay. Growing up in the 1960s, Rob spent a lot of time on the dock of his waterman neighbor, Captain Irvin Evans, who caught fish, blue crabs, clams and oysters for a living. He learned about the lifecycle of crabs, the best nearby fishing spots, how to cull oysters and find clams under the sand, and he ate seafood superbly cooked by Captain Evans’ wife, Gladys. Rob and his siblings grew up exploring the Lynnhaven by boat and observing the life in and around the salt marsh. This instilled an appreciation for the Chesapeake and the ecosystem’s importance in the productivity, sustainability, and health of the seafood industry.
From October 16th to October 22nd, we will make a donation of $10.00 for every order placed!
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References
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susquehanna_River
[2] https://www.cbf.org/about-the-bay/more-than-just-the-bay/
[3] https://www.chesapeakebay.net/discover/history/archaeology_and_native_americans
[4] https://www.nps.gov/chba/learn/nature/wildlife.htm
[5] https://www.chesapeakebay.net/discover/field-guide
[6] https://www.vims.edu/test/dlm/critters/mammals/index.php
[7] https://www.cbf.org/how-we-save-the-bay/programs-initiatives/virginia/hopewell-restoration-project.html
[8] The Chesapeake Bay was the first estuary in the nation targeted by Congress for restoration and protection. In the late 1970s, U.S. Senator Charles “Mac” Mathias (R-Md.) sponsored a Congressionally funded $27 million, five-year study to analyze the Bay’s rapid loss of wildlife and aquatic life. The study, which was published in the early 1980s, identified excess nutrient pollution as the main source of the Bay's degradation. These initial research findings led to the formation of the Chesapeake Bay Program as the means to restore the Bay. The original Chesapeake Bay Agreement was a simple, one-page pledge signed in 1983.
[9] https://www.cbf.org/about-cbf/history/
[10] https://www.chesapeakebay.net/news/blog/six_of_the_chesapeakes_endangered_species_success_stories
