Biologists with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recorded the fourth highest success rate for striped bass spawning in the Chesapeake Bay in 58 years, according to the 2011 Young of the Year Striped Bass Survey.
The survey figure of 34.6 is well above the long-term average of 11.9 and 2010’s 5.9. Striped bass spawning success varies from year to year due to factors such as water temperature, winter snowfall, spring river flow rates and weather conditions. The strong 2011 figure shows that when conditions are right, striped bass are capable of producing a large population of young.
During the 2011 survey, DNR biologists counted 47 different species among the more than 59,000 fish collected at 22 sites in the upper Bay and on the Choptank, Potomac and Nanticoke rivers. The survey also documented an increase in the abundance of juvenile blueback herring, a species that had decreased dramatically, and white perch, another important food and sport species.
Visit Maryland DNR’s website for more information about the striped bass spawning survey.
In 2011, 510 million baby oysters were planted on more than 315 acres in six Chesapeake Bay rivers, according to the Oyster Recovery Partnership.
This is the fourth year the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science’s oyster hatchery has produced more than 500 million disease-free baby oysters, called spat. The Oyster Recovery Partnership works with the university, as well as the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other partners to collect and plant oysters in the Bay and its rivers.
The Oyster Recovery Partnership also processed more than 70,000 bushels of oyster shell in 2011. About 10,000 bushels were collected through the Shell Recycling Alliance, a program that takes used oyster shells from more than 100 restaurants, caterers and seafood distributors in the region. Baby oysters must attach themselves to other oysters to grow and survive, so it’s critical to collect as many used oyster shells as possible to reuse in oyster reef restoration efforts. The Shell Recycling Alliance now provides 15 percent of the oyster shells Maryland needs for its restoration efforts.
Visit the Oyster Recovery Partnership’s website to learn more about the group’s oyster restoration efforts.
The invasive zebra mussel has been found for the first time in the Sassafras River, a tributary of the upper Chesapeake Bay on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
A citizen found a single adult zebra mussel attached to a dock and reported it to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The mussel was discovered in the lower Sassafras River near Turner Creek.
Although the discovery does not necessarily mean that zebra mussels have established themselves in the Sassafras River, it is very unlikely that this single mussel is the only one in the river, according to DNR biologist Ron Klauda.
Biologists believe that unusually low salinity levels in the upper Bay this summer may have allowed zebra mussels to expand beyond the Susquehanna River, which is the only other river in Maryland where the species has been discovered. This means that zebra mussels could have spread to other rivers in the region, such as the Bohemia, Elk or Northeast rivers.
Tiny zebra mussels have caused significant ecological and economic damage in North America. They are extremely efficient filter feeders that significantly reduce the amount of plankton available to native aquatic life. Massive clumps of zebra mussels can also encrust boat hulls, damage power plant intakes and disrupt municipal water systems. Since they were introduced in the Great Lakes in the 1980s, zebra mussels have caused more than $5 billion in damages and losses in North America.
Zebra mussels spread mainly by attaching themselves to boats, boat trailers and other watercraft. Recreational boaters can unknowingly carry zebra mussels and larvae in bilges, bait buckets, coolers or on aquatic vegetation clinging to boat props and trailers.
If you think you’ve found a zebra mussel in a Maryland waterway, you should report the discovery to DNR by calling (410) 260-8615. For more information about the discovery, visit DNR’s website.
Image courtesy John Tolva/Flickr
The Department of Environmental Protection is now accepting applications for environmental education grants to be released in 2012.
Schools, colleges, universities, county conservation districts, non-profit organizations, municipalities and businesses are eligible to apply for the grants, which will provide a maximum of $7,500 per applicant.
The grants provide funding to create or develop projects to support a variety of environmental topics, including watershed management, water conservation, acid mine drainage, brownfields redevelopment and Chesapeake Bay restoration.
Last April, the Department of Environmental Protection awarded 102 grants totaling more than $538,000 to groups in support of environmental education programs across the state. Since the program’s inception, the department has awarded more than $7 million in grants.
Apply online at DEP’s website or call the Environmental Education and Information Center at (717) 772-1828. The deadline to apply is December 16.
