News

This Week in the Watershed: Acting Out

February 23, 2018

To save the Bay, accepting the status quo is often not an option.

CBF Statement on New VMRC Commissioner Steve Bowman

February 23, 2018

(RICHMOND, VA)—Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) Virginia Director Rebecca Tomazin issued the following statement on the appointment of Steve Bowman as commissioner of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission.

Top Five Things You Always Wondered About Bay Winters

February 19, 2018

Just how exactly do things change on the Bay during the winter season, and more importantly, why? Here are answers to some of those burning questions you’ve always had but never asked about wintertime on the Chesapeake.

Anglers, Charter Boat Captains, and Conservation Groups Highlight Urgency of Menhaden Legislation

February 16, 2018

(RICHMOND, VA)—A coalition of conservation and recreational fishing organizations today urged support for new legislation that would ensure Virginia avoids the consequences of falling out of compliance with the latest menhaden fishery management plan.

CBF Issues Statement on 90 Percent Budget Cut for The Bay Program

February 12, 2018

(ANNAPOLIS, MD)—Chesapeake Bay Foundation President William C. Baker issued this statement following the release of the Fiscal Year 2019 Trump Administration budget, which reduced funding for EPA's Chesapeake Bay Program by 90 percent.

Fast and Furious in Harrisburg, Annapolis, and Richmond

February 9, 2018

At the dawn of every new year, shortly after the ball drops and the confetti is swept away, our Bay saving efforts kick into another gear. With the new year comes the start of legislative sessions in Maryland and Virginia, and its continuation in Pennsylvania.

This Week in the Watershed: Keep the Cap!

February 2, 2018

Ospreys soaring through the sky, dolphins jumping through the water, and rockfish on your dinner plate. What do these all have in common?

Atlantic Menhaden Are in Jeopardy Again: What Does It Mean for Stripers?

January 30, 2018

Protecting Atlantic Menhaden is like pushing a rock up a hill, over and over: the threats just keep coming.

This Week in the Watershed: An Unjustifiable Risk

January 5, 2018

Magic happens when fresh and salt water collide. Life explodes in estuaries, as they are some of the most productive ecosystems in the world. We witness this every day in the Chesapeake Bay, North America’s largest estuary.

Thank You and Happy New Year!

January 2, 2018

2017! It was the best of times. And it was the worst of times.

Maryland Gets It Half Right in Selection of Next Rivers for Oyster Restoration

December 15, 2017

(ANNAPOLIS, MD)—Alison Prost, Maryland Executive Director of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, issued this statement following the announcement Friday by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources of a "comprehensive oyster restoration plan."

Lafayette River Oyster Survey Shows Thriving Reefs

December 4, 2017

(NORFOLK, VA)–Oysters planted on constructed reefs in the Lafayette River are reproducing and thriving, according to the results of a recent survey by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

Volunteers and Restaurants Needed to Pitch In for Oyster Restoration

November 21, 2017

(HAMPTON ROADS, VA)—The Chesapeake Bay Foundation is seeking additional restaurants and volunteers in Hampton Roads to pitch in to restore the native oyster population during Virginia oyster month this November.

This Week in the Watershed: Bunker Battle Continues

November 17, 2017

The message was loud, clear, and nearly unanimous. More than 127,000 individuals submitted comments to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, and when they were tallied, a resounding 99.6 percent were in support of an ecosystem-based approach to menhaden management.

VIMS Study Identifies Tipping Point for Oyster Restoration

November 13, 2017

CBF Statement on ASMFC Menhaden Fishery Decision

November 13, 2017

(LINTHICUM, MD)—The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Menhaden Management Board today voted to continue with the status quo for managing the menhaden fishery rather than immediately adopt limits that would take into account menhaden’s role in the food chain.

Defying Expectations in Baltimore's Inner Harbor

November 9, 2017

For the past five years, oysters have been growing in Baltimore's Inner Harbor through the Great Baltimore Oyster Partnership–a collaboration between Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

A Clean Chesapeake Bay Requires a Strong EPA

October 25, 2017

In September of 1983, the results of a seven-year EPA study of the Chesapeake Bay landed on our respective desks — one of us was the new administrator of EPA, recently appointed by President Ronald Reagan, and the other was the new president of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

This Week in the Watershed: The Bay's Bread and Butter

October 20, 2017

There are only a few days left to help the most important fish in the sea.

A Historic Opportunity for Fish and Fishermen

October 19, 2017

At one time, schools of menhaden in Virginia were so vast that fishermen and fishery managers thought the population was virtually inexhaustible.

Menhaden Monikers

October 12, 2017

"Some people call 'em bunkers, some people call 'em pogies, some people menhaden; they're all the same fish."

Scouts Come Together to Save the Bay

October 6, 2017

The Chesapeake Bay’s number one filter feeder is not one of the first things that come to mind for most Eagle Scout projects.

Lafayette Reef Shows That If You Build It, Oysters Will Come Along Just Fine

October 4, 2017

Near the mouth of Norfolk's Lafayette River last July, a crane lifted a load of crushed concrete off a barge and released it into the water.

This Week in the Watershed: If You Build It They Will Come

September 29, 2017

It goes without saying, but the Bay looked awfully different when Captain John Smith first navigated its waters in 1608. The journals of Smith reveal a Bay bursting with life.

Amazing Life in the Lafayette's Waters!

September 25, 2017

Amazing critters are thriving in the Lafayette River, an urban waterway entirely within Norfolk city limits. The great variety of life found on a recent biological survey of the Lafayette River is one more sign that this once-polluted river is getting better.