Bay Health
Although there are a number of smaller-scale success stories, the overall ecosystem health of the Chesapeake Bay remains degraded.
- Water Quality -
Most of the Bay's waters are degraded. In 2007, we were 21 percent of the way toward meeting Bay water quality goals, a drop from 23 percent in 2006.
- Habitats and Lower Food Web -
The Bay's critical habitats and food web continue to be at risk. Currently, the Bay's habitats and lower food web are at 44 percent of desired levels, up from 40 percent in 2006.
- Fish and Shellfish -
Many of the Bay's fish and shellfish populations are below historic levels. Currently, the Bay's fish and shellfish are at 52% of desired levels, up from 48% in 2006.
- For more than twenty years, restoration efforts have managed to offset a variety of destructive environmental impacts, while making modest ecological gains in some areas. Recently this imbalance has intensified because of rapid population growth and landuse conversion in parts of the watershed; thus major pollution reduction, habitat restoration, fisheries management and watershed protection actions taken to date have not yielded a significant Bay ecosystem response.
- It is important to note that progress cannot be calculated on a day-to-day basis. By using detailed scientific data that have been carefully analyzed and interpreted; we can see changes in the health of the Bay over time. Change is occurring, but slowly.
- In Bay Health, the most up-to-date monitoring data gathered by Bay Program partners are used to provide a scientifically based assessment of the health of the Bay.
- Progress toward a restored Bay is tracked with 13 “reporting-level” indicators grouped in three priority areas that represent major components of the Bay ecosystem: Water Quality, Habitats & Lower Food Web and Fish & Shellfish.
- Quantitative restoration goals have been set for most of these indicators.
- A summary bar chart shows the current status of each indicator with respect to its restoration goal.