Published:
March 1, 2008
Originator:
Chesapeake Bay Program
EPA Number:
EPA 903-R-06-002

A healthy Bay requires balancing the needs of the region's people and economy with the needs of the Bay for clean waters and ample habitat for aquatic life. The goal of Bay restoration is to restore this balance by reducing pollution, protecting critical habitata and ensuring sustainable population os fish and shellfish. Although there are a number of smaller-scale success stories, the overall ecosystem health of the Chesapeake Bay remains degraded. For more than twenty years, restoration efforts have managed to offset the impact of the region's growing population while making modest ecological gains in some areas. Major pollutions reduction, habitat restoration, fisheries management and watershed protection actions taken to date have not yeat been sufficient to restore the health of the Bay.

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