Bay Barometer shows measured progress in the Chesapeake

Wondering how the Chesapeake Bay is doing? The 2015-2016 annual report from the Chesapeake Bay Program -- the Bay Barometer -- points to many signs of progress in the basin, despite continuing challenges from development and pollution.

The Chesapeake Bay Program is a regional partnership of states, citizen advisory groups, and federal agencies, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, that has been leading conservation in the basin for more than 30 years. 

In the news release accompanying the Bay Barometer, the partnership announced that it "has reached—and in some cases, surpassed—the halfway mark toward half a dozen of the commitments built into the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement and is cautiously optimistic about the work that remains."  

Among the highlights, the Bay Barometer reported good news for blue crabs, oysters, and underwater grasses, all used as indicators for the resilience of reef ecosystems. For example, "An analysis of the first oyster reefs to be built and seeded with larvae in Harris Creek, Md., showed that all reefs met the minimum criteria for success in oyster weight and density, and half met even higher weight and density targets." 

Read the entire news release on the Chesapeake Bay Program website.