The Chesapeake Bay Ecosystem Health
Two new reports give the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem health low to failing grades.
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The second report, 2006 Bay Health & Restoration Assessment comes from the Chesapeake Bay Program, a partnership of governmental and non-governmental stakeholders working on bay restoration issues since 1983.
Both reports use data on water related factors that commonly define ecosystem health. Taken together they provide numerical scores for three broad areas that commonly define ecosystem health.
- Water Quality
- Underwater Habitat
- Fish and Shellfish
The water quality category covers a wide range of factors from the amount of toxins and/or sediment that reach the bay from its tributaries, to the bay's oxygen levels which are critical for animal and plant health. Overall water quality health was rated at about one-third of the stated goal. Decreases in nitrogen and phosphorus releases from wastewater treatment plants in and around the bay and its watersheds were cited as progress in the area. However, nitrogen and phosphorus levels caused by agriculture runoff still cause unacceptably high levels oxygen depleting algae blooms.
The underwater habitat category refers to the lower level animal and plant life that provide a foundation for most of the bay's fish and wildlife. Bay grasses, for example, provide food and shelter for many of the bay's aquatic and terrestrial residents and visitors such as crabs and shorebirds. Since 1983, bay grass density has slightly improved. However, 2006 saw a 25% decrease in bay grass density over 2005 numbers, and now stands at "32 percent of the 185,000-acre restoration goal" set for the year 2010.
Populations of fish and shellfish also remain at below average levels. Blue crab populations, for example, are estimated to be at only 57% of their stated goal. The ten year blue crab population trend shows little, if any, improvement.
It is also important to note that neither report addresses issues such as beach water quality for swimming and other recreational activities. Additionally, neither report addresses how the bay's ecosystem health affects migrant and local bird populations, although researchers from the United States Geological Survey are currently addressing the issue.
© 2007 Patricia A. Michaels