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Chesapeake Bay Activities

The Chesapeake Bay is our Nation’s largest estuary and provides over $100 billion in annual economic value. The USGS works with Federal, State, local, and academic partners to provide research and monitoring and to communicate results to inform management for the Chesapeake and other important landscapes across the Nation.

News

Scientists document osprey nest failures across the Chesapeake, tie it to lack of menhaden for food

Scientists document osprey nest failures across the Chesapeake, tie it to lack of menhaden for food

USGS Researchers Invite Community Members to Help Kick Off a New Study of Local Streams and Conservation Practices in the Shenandoah Valley

USGS Researchers Invite Community Members to Help Kick Off a New Study of Local Streams and Conservation Practices in the Shenandoah Valley

Why reducing farm pollution in the Chesapeake Bay region is a complex problem

Why reducing farm pollution in the Chesapeake Bay region is a complex problem

Publications

Temporal analysis of water chemistry and smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) health at two sites with divergent land use in the Susquehanna River watershed, Pennsylvania, USA

Monitoring wild fish health and exposure effects in impacted rivers and streams with differing land use has become a valuable research tool. Smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) are a sensitive, indicator species that exhibit signs of immunosuppression and endocrine disruption in response to water quality changes and contaminant exposure. To determine the impact of agriculture and development on
Authors
Heather L. Walsh, Geoffrey Smith, Megan Schall, Stephanie Gordon, Vicki S. Blazer

Invasive blue catfish in the Chesapeake Bay: A risk to realizing Bay restoration investments

Introduction The partners of the Chesapeake Bay are investing billions of dollars in the restoration of critical habitats to improve conditions for people and living resources throughout the Bay and its watershed. However, the recent proliferation of invasive Ictalurus furcatus (blue catfish) in the Chesapeake Bay’s major rivers has the potential to disrupt these restoration efforts and limit the
Authors
Ellen Robertson, Jenn Malpass, Christopher Ottinger, John Griffin, Christine Densmore, Kenneth Hyer

Connecting conservation practices to local stream health in the Chesapeake Bay watershed

The Chesapeake Bay Partnership is implementing conservation practices (CPs) throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed to reduce nutrient and sediment delivery to the Bay. This study intends to provide an integrated and detailed understanding of how local streams respond to these CP-driven management efforts.Key issue: To what extent do CPs positively affect the health of local streams in the nontida
Authors
Gregory Noe, Paul L. Angermeier, Larry B. Barber, Joe Buckwalter, Matthew Joseph Cashman, Olivia Devereux, Thomas Rossiter Doody, Sally Entrekin, Rosemary Margaret Fanelli, Nathaniel P. Hitt, Molly Elizabeth Huber, Jeramy Roland Jasmann, Kelly O. Maloney, Tristan Gregory Mohs, Sergio Sabat-Bonilla, Kelly Smalling, Tyler Wagner, John C. Wolf, Kenneth Hyer

Science

New study highlights linkages among land use, water chemistry, and the health of Smallmouth Bass in the Susquehanna River watershed

Contaminants associated with agricultural and developed land uses may negatively affect SMB health and disease resistance in the Susquehanna River watershed.
link

New study highlights linkages among land use, water chemistry, and the health of Smallmouth Bass in the Susquehanna River watershed

Contaminants associated with agricultural and developed land uses may negatively affect SMB health and disease resistance in the Susquehanna River watershed.
Learn More

Using Multiple Indicators to Assess Stream Condition in the Chesapeake Bay

USGS is working with federal, state and local partners to develop multiple assessments of stream and river conditions in non-tidal areas of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. These assessments will help managers preserve stream health and improve biological conditions in impaired streams as the human population and climate continue to change in this region.
link

Using Multiple Indicators to Assess Stream Condition in the Chesapeake Bay

USGS is working with federal, state and local partners to develop multiple assessments of stream and river conditions in non-tidal areas of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. These assessments will help managers preserve stream health and improve biological conditions in impaired streams as the human population and climate continue to change in this region.
Learn More

Population Monitoring and Removal Strategies for Blue Catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) in Chesapeake Bay

USGS is helping with the design of a population survey and developing mathematical models to assess potential activities to manage the population of invasive blue catfish ( Ictalurus furcatus ) in the Chesapeake Bay. This research will help managers determine the cost and feasibility of approaches to control this invasive species.
link

Population Monitoring and Removal Strategies for Blue Catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) in Chesapeake Bay

USGS is helping with the design of a population survey and developing mathematical models to assess potential activities to manage the population of invasive blue catfish ( Ictalurus furcatus ) in the Chesapeake Bay. This research will help managers determine the cost and feasibility of approaches to control this invasive species.
Learn More
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