Chesapeake Bay Foundation Blog

It Will Take Efforts on Many Fronts to Save the Bay

by Ann Jennings, Virginia Executive Director, CBF
following is an excerpt from Jennings' recent OpEd article. Read the full article on dailypress.com.

The Chesapeake's treasured blue crabs, having declined by 70 percent over the past two decades, are poised dangerously below a level of abundance beyond which the population is seriously threatened. These are scary times for the blue crab.

The governors of Maryland and Virginia recently called for a one-third reduction in harvests of female crabs. Science indicates that reducing crab harvests will result in a greater abundance of blue crabs, and that the population will respond very quickly to such actions. Unfortunately, the men and women who make their living by bringing those delicious blue crabs to our dinner tables will see their incomes drop. It's a gross oversimplification, but consider what you would do if you were told by your boss that your annual income would drop by 34 percent effective immediately. These are scary times for the crabber.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation applauds the governors for taking this bold action and committing to partner, as perhaps never before, on the regulations necessary to reduce crab harvests. However, we are concerned about the impact of these regulations on watermen communities, particularly those on Tangier and Smith Islands, where crabbing has been part of the culture for centuries and whose watermen have limited options for alternative incomes.

CBF therefore has offered both states alternative approaches to harvest reductions that attempt to spread the burden equally among various sectors of the crab industry. Furthermore, we share the frustrations expressed by the Virginia Waterman's Association in numerous newspaper articles. While Virginia takes bold action to reduce crab harvests, the underlying problem facing crabs remains unsolved with no complete solutions even in sight. Ultimately, we must restore the water quality of the Chesapeake Bay if we are to sustain a robust crab population and robust crab fishery.  Read the full article on dailypress.com.

When the Bay's Health Earns a "D" Who Gets Grounded?

My kids bring their interim reports home from school this Friday, and I'm expecting to see a few low grades working their way a bit higher. I'm trying to get my son and daughter to understand that everything counts. Falling behind in the routine, like not turning in homework assignments, will torpedo their grades as surely as if they didn't prepare for a test. And not preparing for tests, regardless of how well they think they already know the subject matter, will inevitably come back to bite them.

Unfortunately, another report came home today, and the grades didn't improve. CBF released its annual State of the Bay report, an index of 13 indicators of the Bay's health. This year the Bay brought home a disappointing grade of "D." Not a single indicator improved from last year, and three dropped still further. If my son brought that report card home he'd lose Playstation privileges for a month.

It's not just the grade. If my son or daughter is getting low grades because they are having difficulty with the subject I know that's something we can work on together. But if the grades reflect work that just isn't being done or effort that just isn't being exerted, that's unacceptable.

That's what makes this year's State of the Bay report so frustrating—it doesn't reflect a lack of skill, it reflects a lack of will.

At a press conference this morning, CBF President Will Baker put it this way:

"The Chesapeake Bay Program has been acclaimed as a model federal/state partnership. Unfortunately, the federal participation has been a model of failure under this administration. While our governors and legislators at the state and federal level have achieved important victories in recent years, the Bush Administration has made no contribution toward the pollution reduction goals in the Chesapeake 2000 Agreement. In fact, they have issued regulations that allow coal fired power plants to continue to spew mercury and nitrogen when this should have been prohibited under the Clean Air Act long ago. And while the states have increased funding to improve sewage treatment, President Bush has cut funding."

Science has given us the plan we need to turn things around. Our elected officials need to act on it.

On Wednesday, the Chesapeake Executive Council will meet to evaluate the state of the Bay. We are asking them to publicly announce timetables for the programs they will implement to complete their commitments. Will they chose to continue the politics of postponement or will they take action to save the Bay?

I'll Get You My Pretty, And Your Little Fish, Too!

Gary Brookins at the Richmond Times-Dispatch has another winner!

With the Green Fund coming up in the Maryland General Assembly special session next week it could just as easily be Maryland afloat.

Right now, legislators have an opportunity to support the Green Fund for clean streams and a healthy Bay. Not surprisingly, there’s a lot of support for it: from environmentalists and watermen to homebuilders, community leaders, and health-care professionals; in fact, 63 percent of Marylanders are willing to pay a $20 annual fee to fund Bay clean-up programs.

It’s a rare moment when opportunity, consensus, and a solution all align at the same time. And we must take advantage of this moment.

As for Virginia, the Commonwealth has made great strides in recent years in funding upgrades to sewage treatment plants. Now the big challenge is reducing runoff pollution, especially from farms. CBF and a coalition of agricultural and conservation groups are calling upon Governor Tim Kaine and the Virginia General Assembly to include $100 million annually for 10 years in the state budget to fund programs that help Virginia farmers reduce runoff. The funding would come from 1/10th of one cent of the current sales tax. If fully funded, the programs could cut 60% of the nitrogen runoff—nearly 12 million pounds a year—needed to meet Bay cleanup goals. This is a huge opportunity to fix one of the biggest pollution problems plaguing Virginia rivers and the Bay.

What do you think? Should cleaning up the Bay be a funding priority?

Report Bad Water Quality

1.866.666.9260
Write that number down.

The news this summer has been dismal. Three-hundred-thousand fish dead in Mattox Creek off the Potomac River in July. Twenty thousand in Weems Creek in June. A six-mile-long algal bloom in the Potomac.

We want to know more about what's going on in our rivers and Bay, and we need your help to do it.

If you see or hear about something troubling on the water —like an algal bloom, fish kill, or "crab jubilee"—inform the proper authorities and call CBF'S Bad Water Strike Force Hotline at 1.866.666.9260.

When you call, you'll be asked for some basic information, including:

• Where and when did the event happen?
• What did the water look like?
• Were there dead fish? If so, how many, what kind, big or small?
• What were the weather conditions?
• Have you or can you take a picture of the event?
• Have you contacted the appropriate state agency?

At the end of the summer, CBF will use your data to develop a report on bad water events in the region.  We will share the report with government officials and urge them to support funding for Bay restoration. We'll also share the report with you.

Average Stinks, Take Two

The Chesapeake Bay Program yesterday released its summer forecast -- " an 'average' summer for Bay health," according to research project leader Dr. William Dennison of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. "Unfortunately, average conditions are far from optimal. The Chesapeake Bay deserves better."

So say we all.

In summary,

1) oxygen levels are expected to be slightly worse than last summer, though ranking near average (there's that word again) when compared to conditions over the past 22 years;

2) no significant changes are expected for Bay grasses in the northern Bay or Tangier Sound, though a slight increase is expected in the Potomac River (it's disappointing no forecast was made for the southern Bay, which has been suffering a critical die-off);

3) harmful algal blooms are predicted to start in early summer, last for one or two months, and extend 10 to 20 miles at their peak.

The full forecast is worth checking out at http://www.chesapeakebay.net/pubs/2007forecastltr.pdf

Average Stinks

Understanding the science behind the Bay's problems is crucial if we are going to make any inroads. But sometimes, you just need to say it like it is.

On Friday, CBF Senior Naturalist John Page Williams took Annapolis Capital reporter Pamela Wood out on the Severn for a look at the river's oxygen levels. Their monitoring cruise, along with tests from other local rivers, shows oxygen levels that are frustratingly low. And as the summer goes on, Williams expects worse.

"Is it better or worse? I don't give a damn. It's just bad," Williams is quoted saying. "Even if it's average, average stinks."

Demise of mussels linked to SAV decline in Magothy

The Magothy River didn't look so good in 2006.

A 20 percent drop in underwater grasses appears to be linked to the demise of dark false mussels, an unusual species widely credited for a burst of good water quality two years ago, according to a draft of the annual Magothy River Index.

"The most interesting thing is what happened when the dark false mussels died out," said Dr. Peter Bergstrom, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration biologist who helps the Magothy River Association monitor the river. "We saw an improvement in the river that happened together with an explosion of the mussel population in 2004."  (The Capital)

At its "State of the Magothy" meeting last night, the Magothy River Association planned to discuss a five-year plan for clearing the water and increasing the oyster population -- including funding sources. Unfortunately, I was unable to make the meeting so can't report back. I'll update here when I find out more.

Want to help the Magothy and SAVs? Check both the CBF and Magothy River Association web sites for more info and ideas.

What have we been doing for 19 years?

An article in today's Washington Post includes the following quote from J. Charles Fox, a former head of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources about efforts over the past 19 years to clean up the Chesapeake Bay:

"We have done a truly tremendous job of defining the problem, and we have done a truly tremendous job of defining the solution. But we have not yet succeeded in actually implementing the solution."

National and local legislators throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed will be tackling tough questions during this session. Keep David Fahrenthold's article in mind when the time comes to decide what efforts need your support.

More from the Washington Post:

• A picture is worth a thousand words. What will you do to protect the beauty of the Bay?
• Staggering amounts of work and funding are still needed.

Wednesday at the Museum

If you're near Richmond, stop by the Science Museum of Virginia tomorrow (Jan. 24) at noon for Lunch Break Science. CBF Virginia Communications Coordinator Chuck Epes will be discussing the State of the Bay.

While you're there, don't miss the John Smith Discovery Barge exhibit.

Sediment in Major Western Tributaries is Contaminated

In a new online report, NOAA announced that the major portion of the Chesapeake Bay, called the "mainstem," has minimal sediment contamination but that the major western tributaries are showing elevated contaminant levels.