A new report finds 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.
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. It supports fishing, farming, shipping and tourism.
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. It’s the highest score since the first report in 1998.
Still, the report notes the bay is “far from saved” and progress has been uneven. It says Pennsylvania in particular has lagged in pollution control efforts.