Chesapeake Bay growing healthier
From wire dispatches
Water clarity in the Chesapeake Bay is the best it's been in decades, and native rockfish, oyster and blue crab populations are rebounding as the overall health of the nation's largest estuary improves, a report released Thursday found.
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation's biennial State of the Bay report gave the estuary a C-minus grade, an improvement from a D-plus two years ago and the highest score issued since the inception of the report in 1998.
Still, the report notes that the bay — an economic driver that supports fishing, farming, shipping and tourism — remains “a system dangerously out of balance, a system in crisis,” and says progress has been uneven across the region. The Chesapeake Bay watershed spans 64,000 square miles in parts of Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.
“The bay is getting better,” foundation President William Baker said in a conference call with reporters. “This is good news, but the recovery is fragile. There's a long way left to go.”
Agricultural runoff flowing through Central Pennsylvania’s troubled Susquehanna River contributes to the bay’s problems. Last year, the state Department of Environmental Protection was charged with deciding whether the Susquehanna suffered from “impairment,” a legal designation that would spark federal and state actions and funding. The DEP’s statement fell short of that declaration.
Scientists from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation compile data for 13 indicators in three categories: pollution, habitat and fisheries. Nine of the 13 indicators showed improvement from the last report, and each of the three categories improved overall.
On water clarity, the report issued an overall grade of a D-minus. Still, that represented a two-point improvement from the previous report, and the foundation called it “the clearest water in decades.”
The indicator that showed the most improvement was the blue crab population, which the report said has increased dramatically since 2014, from 297 million to 553 million.
The report also found that the rockfish, or striped bass, population appeared to have stabilized after a 10-year decline, and oyster harvests exceeded 1 million bushels in 2015 for the first time in 30 years.
“Native oysters are making a comeback after a near commercial extinction,” Baker said.
The only indicator that showed a decline from the previous report was the prevalence of strips of trees that protect the water from soil erosion and pollutants.
“The lack of progress is alarming,” the report said.
The foundation said that while Maryland and Virginia are largely on track to achieve the 2017 mid-term goals of a joint state and federal “blueprint” designed to reduce pollution in the bay, Pennsylvania is lagging.
“Pennsylvania is significantly behind, largely due to its failure to meet the goals it set for reducing pollution from agriculture,” the foundation said in a statement.
Baker emphasized that any reduction in efforts could quickly lead to a decline in the bay's health.
“We have to keep this up. These big systems can turn on a dime,” he said.
Sport show, flea market
The annual Tri-County Trout Club Sport Show and Flea Market will be held 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Jan. 21 at the Arnold No. 2 Volunteer Fire Department Training and Social Center, 1702 Fifth Ave., Arnold, PA 15068. $3 admission, kids under 12 and TCTC members free. Details 412-298-0964.
Fly Fishing 101
International Angler in Robinson will offer two free introductory fly-fishing classes 5:30 p.m. Jan. 11 and 11 a.m. Jan. 14. Instructor Bruce Cox will lead a sixweek beginner fly fishing course starting 6:30 p.m. Jan. 17, $75. Details 412-788-8088.