The Chesapeake Bay: A Cradle of Life For The East Coast

Introduction

• Introduction to what the bay is and where it is located

• Bay and wetland ecology of the region

• A Brief history of the bay• The importance of the bay

– Species diversity – Benefits to humans

• Problems – pollution

• Conservation– The Chesapeake bay Program– Other things being done to

improve the bay

About the Bay

• Word derived from a the Powhatan word “chesepiooc” meaning Great Shellfish Bay

• Largest Estuary in the United States- a mixing of salt and fresh water which fluctuates with the tide – Drainage basin is 64,000 square Miles– 11,600 miles of shore line including islands

and wetlands (more than the west coast)– 4% of the water shed is associated wetlands

Watershed

About the Bay

• Water shed is in six states– New York

– Pennsylvania

– Maryland

– Delaware

– Virginia and west Virginia

• It’s Fed By 5 major rivers– Susquehanna

– Potomac

– Rappahannock

– York

– James

Wetlands

• The associated wetlands of the bay are vital to it’s health and productivity– These areas serve as filters for harmful pollutants and

excessive nutrients– work as flood control for the rivers and surrounding

communities– Provides breeding grounds for fish and shell fish– And is literally a smorgasbord of food for wading birds

and waterfowl especially dabbling ducks

Wetlands

• Has Two types– Estuarine

• Tidal marshes flood by salt and brackish water fluctuating with the tide

• Usually has emergent salt tolerant grasses

• 200,000 acres• Important to Fish, Shell

fish and wading birds– nursery for Blue fish,

Mullet, and Flounder– habitat for Blue Crabs,

Oysters, clams, and Shrimp

– Which all provide food for various birds such as herons

Wetlands

– Paulstrine• 1.3 mil. Acres

• Freshwater wetlands along flood plains which are associated with the bays rivers

• Dominated by scrub brush and forests

• Important areas to waterfowl, song birds, beaver, muskrats, and white tailed deer

Wetlands

• Estuarine

A. Button bush     (Cephalanthus occidentalis) B. Big cordgrass    (Spartina cynosuroides)

C. Narrow-leaved cattail     (Typha angustifolia)D. Black needlerush     (Juncus roemerianus)E. Saltmeadow cordgrass     (Spartina patens)

F. Wild rice     (Zizania aquatica)G. Widgeon grass     (Ruppia maritima

• Palustrine

A. Black willow     (Salix nigra)B. Red Maple    (Acer rubrum)

C. River birch     (Betula nigra)D. Jewelweed     (Impatiens capensis)

E. River bulrush     (Scirpus fluviatilis)F. Broad-leaved cattail

     (Typha latifolia

History

• In the Pleistocene era the glaciers started melting and 10,000 years ago the water reached the mouth of the bay

• Waters continued to rise until 3,000 years ago the bay was formed as we know it today

• The first settlers of the new world came across the bay and settled on it’s shores using it as a source of food.– Used the fish and shell fish in the bay and were able to utilize

the deer and water fowl populations as a further source of food.– These settlers would later form into the great tribal powers of

Native Americans our ancestors came across when traveling to the new world.

History

• Vincente Gonzalez, a Spanish explorer, entered the bay in 1561– 10 years later the Spanish left due to failed settlements

• In 1605 the French settled where Annapolis is today• By 1608 Captain John Smith had fully explored and

mapped the bay• 1635 produced the first English colony on the bay

established by Lord Baltimore• For the next 400 years the bay became an important

area for fishing, hunting, watermen, and even was an important foot hold during the revolutionary and civil wars

Importance

• Ecological– Works as an ecological indicator sort of like a Key

stone species• The health of the bay is directly related to the health of all its

associated water ways and wetlands• Also indicates how species in upper tributaries are doing

– It feeds and provides habitat for just about every type of organism found in that part of the world

• Therefore, it is a concentrated area for species diversity

Species Diversity

• You can find a number of different waterfowl, raptors, mammals, song birds, Invertebrates, fish, and shellfish in the bay and it’s water shed. – Waterfowl

• At one point in time the sky was full of migrating birds and the waters were littered with them.

• Now there has been a sharp decrease in population numbers and species diversity

• However generalist species have thrived due to diet adaptation

Waterfowl

• The bay provides for dabbling ducks, diving ducks, geese, and swans.– most abundant dabblers

• Mallards and black ducks

• Tend to be dependant on submerged aquatic veg.

• Mallard populations increasing while Black Ducks are decreasing

– Due to human interactions

Waterfowl

• Divers– Canvasbacks are the

most abundant diving ducks in the bay

• Traditionally ate wild celery

• Depend primarily on clams for food

– The Redheads• Only a few use the bay

for breeding • Decrease in food

sources (SAV)

Waterfowl

• Geese– Canada Geese are the

most abundant– Tend to feed mostly on

SAV but have switched to upland ag fields

• Swans– Mute and tundra

swans make use of the bay

Waterfowl

• Other species of interest– Wood Ducks and Red

Breasted Mergansers– Bufflehead

• Considered a sea duck preferring open water

• Tends to stay in waters of 4-15 feet

– Ruddy Duck• Winters in the bay

Water Birds and raptors

• Wading Birds– Marshes important

due to amount of food found there

– Some species are Sandpipers, Willets, Black–bellied Plovers, Blue Herons, and American Oyster Catchers

• Raptors– Greatly depleted due

to use of DDT– Ospreys– Bald Eagles

• One of the few places left on the east coast where they can be seen

• The bay provides the needed nesting and hunting grounds

Species Diversity

• Fish– Red Drum, Blue Fish, and

Stripped Bass– Resident and migratory

species• Catadromous- fresh to salt

– American Eel

• Anadromous- salt to fresh– American Shad and

White Perch

• Shell Fish– Blue Crab, Oysters, clams,

Grass, Mantis, and Skeleton Shrimp

Species Diversity

• Mammals– Red fox, Whitetail

Deer, Raccoon, Bobcats, and Beavers

Importance• It’s so damn Big

– The bay itself covers 418,000 miles, has 100,000 associated rivers and streams, and 15 million people have contact with the bay or it’s water ways

– Other areas have affects on it as well• Such as air pollution from as far away a s Kentucky, Indiana, and Canada

• Economic and Recreational– Many people living on the bay make their living by utilizing it’s

resources. (watermen)• Crabbing is a huge industry

– Largest producer of crabs in the nation– 1/3 of the countries crab meat comes from the bay– 100 mil. Pounds of Blue Crabs come from the bay annually– Watermen use crab pots and trotlines to catch crabs

• Oyster Harvest- considered a delicacy – Bay used to have huge oyster bars but over harvest, sedimentation, and other

pollution has decreased their numbers– However bay is this one of the foremost oyster producers in the U.S.

Economic and Recreational Benefits

• Harvest of other shellfish– Claming and shrimp harvest are also worth mentioning

• Fishing– Consumer Market Fishing

• Red Drum, Bluefish, and Tautog have been over harvested the past• Others harvested are Catfish, Mackerel, and Flounder among others

– Sport Fishing• Spanish Mackerel, Sturgeon, Black Bass, and Stripped Bass are

just a few

• Boating – Water skiing, pontoon boating, and sail boating are some

favorite activities on the bay

Economic and Recreational Benefits

• Hunting– Especially water fowl

• With all the different species the bay is perfect for hunting • It’s a favorite past time of the watermen to hunt ducks • Also an important economic aspect

– People come into bay communities to hunt and will spend money – Deer hunting too

• With good deer populations in the marshes those in the Chesapeake bay area and in the water shed enjoy fruitful deer hunting

• Possibly a good way to make extra money for the watermen– As guides or in lease hunting

• Bird watching– With the many different species the bay and it’s marshes are

great place for birders.

Bay health

• What problems are there?- Pollution– Can come from two source

• Point Source- pollution is derived from a specific location• Non-point Source- pollution cannot be attributed to a certain location

– Nutrients• Mostly Nitrogen and Phosphorous causing phytoplankton blooms

and shutting out sunlight to SAV (eutrophication)• Comes from septic systems, Urban storm water runoff, sewage

treatment plants, and is declining in Ag but is still a factor

– Sedimentation• Sediments carry nutrients along with them and have polluted water

ways due to deforestation, urbanization, and clearing of land for agriculture

• Sediments are detrimental to oyster populations and SAV, and tends to clog channels

Bay Health

• Air pollution– Is derived from car emissions, power plants, industrial

emissions, burning of fossil fuels, and even concentrated barnyard gasses

– Can lead to acid rain and fluctuation in water quality and PH

• Chemical Pollution – Toxic chemicals just kill the organism but non-toxic chemicals

can be detrimental to reproduction and development– Some of the more common toxins in the bay are Zinc and

Copper and it has some mercury as well– Toxin come from pest control, power plants, and urban runoff (oil

and greases)

Conservation

• What’s being done?– Clean Air and Water Act (1970)

• Attempts to keep the air and water systems clean within the U.S. • Does so by limiting the amount of pollutants entering the system from point

sources – Requiring scrubbers in smoke stack, more efficient cars, etc…

– Incorporating BMP’s into logging and agriculture as well as urban development

– Education• Programs funded by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation

– Boat tours– School projects and trips– Funding for wetland construction and conservation practices

• Web sites– Such as http://www.chesapeakebay.net

• Museums– Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum

• Making the Public Aware

Conservation

• Instituting conservation through governmental programs– The Chesapeake Bay Program

• A multi-jurisdictional partnership working to restore and protect the bay and its resources

• Restoration– Water Quality

» Increases riparian buffers, preserve forest and wetland, restore oyster populations

» Help to set Nutrient load regulations and how they are measured

Chesapeake Bay Program

• Restoration– Habitat Restoration

• Increasing shallow water SAV grasses• Decreasing open water algal blooms (Decreases dissolved

Oxygen and turbidity)• Creating suitable nesting habitat on islands and shores

– Sound land use Practices• On-site storm water management

– Keeping storm water from running into water ways• Growth management

– Cluster zoning– Leaving open spaces and riparian buffers

• Environmental sensitive site design– Deciding where developments can be erected

Chesapeake bay program

• Restoration– Reducing Pollution

• Farmers, business, and industry have been trying to comply with conservation practices

• Individuals can concentrate on the conservation of electricity and water, car pooling, and yard waste

– Monitoring the health• Looking at amounts of nutrients, toxins, sediments, dissolved

oxygen, salinity, and water temp. can help monitor bay health• Keystone species such as SVA, oyster populations, plankton

and shell fish can also indicate the health of the system

– Fisheries management (States)

Conservation

• Groups such as Ducks Unlimited are focused on constructing and preserving wetlands through raising funds and volunteering

• Some organizations are focused on bringing back the oysters to improve the Bays health– Are filter feeders and work to reduce some of the

phytoplankton buildup and sedimentation problems• State harvest regulations

– Having more strict harvesting limits for watermen and sports fishermen.

– Reducing waterfowl bag limits

Conclusions

• The Chesapeake bay is a huge estuary • It is a cradle of life for all organisms in the area including

humans– It has a large species diversity

• It’s important for economic, recreational, and environmental purposes

• The bay is in trouble with nutrient, sediment, toxin, and air pollution problems

• However steps are being taken to conserve this great resource– Especially the Chesapeake Bay foundation and the Chesapeake

Bay program

Any Questions