The streams in the Chesapeake Bay watershed provide critical habitat for freshwater fish such as brook trout and migratory species such as river herring, American shad, and American Eel. These species have declined due to degrading stream conditions and barriers preventing migration.
The USGS informs restoration efforts by (1) assessing habitat conditions and change; (2) the relation to habitat conditions to fish populations, and (3) potential effects from land change and climate variability.