The abundance of underwater grass in the Chesapeake Bay rebounded 21% between 2014 and 2015, reaching the largest extent in more than 30 years of aerial mapping by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) and surpassing the Chesapeake Bay program’s 2017 restoration goals two years ahead of schedule.
Aerial imagery revealed a total of 91,600 acres of underwater grasses, a number that fluctuates considerably year to year, depending upon weather conditions, and had not shown any marked improvement since 1990 or so, the Chesapeake Bay program announced earlier this week.
Underwater grasses are critical to the Chesapeake Bay ecology, providing a habitat for aquatic species, keeping waters clear by trapping suspended solids, and buffering shoreline erosion. The Chesapeake Bay program has set a goal of achieving 130,00 acres of underwater grasses by 2025 and an ultimate goal of 185,000 acres.
— JAB
