Press Center

The Chesapeake Bay Program’s Sustainable Fisheries Goal Implementation Team will meet Monday, December 14 to discuss topics of critical importance to important fishery species in the Bay. Sessions will feature presentations by top scientists from the region.

WHAT: Semiannual in-person meeting of the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Sustainable Fisheries Goal Implementation Team.
Working agenda topics:

• Oyster restoration efforts in Maryland and Virginia
• Developing forage indicators and nutritional profiles for five predatory species in the Bay
• Updates on two-year workplans to achieve blue crab, forage, fish habitat, and oyster outcomes under the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement
• Latest scientific data on cownose rays, including findings from a recent workshop
• Blue crab survey and research on blue crab reproductive capacity
• Analyses of blue catfish diet in Bay tributaries

WHEN: Monday, December 14 (10 a.m.-4:15 p.m.); see meeting page for webinar/call-in information

WHERE: Bernie Fowler Lab on the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science’s (UMCES) Chesapeake Biological Laboratory campus, 142 Williams St., Solomons, Maryland, 20688

WHO:   Presentations by experts from:
• NOAA (Peyton Robertson, Stephanie Westby, Emilie Franke)
• Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (Matt Ogburn)
• UMCES Chesapeake Biological Laboratory (Tom Miller, Andre Buchheister, Mike Wilberg)
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Susan Connor)
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Don Orth, Joseph Schmitt)

ABOUT:  The Sustainable Fisheries Goal Implementation Team includes the state fisheries managers from around the Bay, fisheries scientists, other experts, and stakeholders, and is chaired by the director of the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office. The team uses the latest science to inform fishery management decisions and meets in person twice a year to address issues and promote sustainable fish populations that support commercial and recreational fisheries in the Chesapeake Bay, and to share and discuss the latest science on these species.

In a conference call Thursday, July 30 at 11 a.m., scientists with the Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) will discuss the 2014 results of their annual Bay-wide survey of underwater grasses from Susquehanna Flats to the mouth of the Bay and the many rivers in between.

The Chesapeake Bay Program tracks underwater grass abundance as an indicator of Bay health. Underwater grasses, also known as submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), serve many essential functions and are among the most closely monitored habitats in the Bay. They provide critical shelter to blue crabs, fish and other key species; improve water clarity by helping sediment settle to the bottom; reduce nutrient pollution, add oxygen to the water; reduce shoreline erosion and are a major source of food for over-wintering waterfowl.

Who:

• Robert Orth, Professor, Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) / CBP
• Brooke Landry, Chair, CBP’s SAV Workgroup & Biologist, Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) / CBP
• Rebecca Golden, Vice-Chair, CBP’s SAV Workgroup & Biologist, Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) / CBP

When: 

Thursday, July 30 at 11 a.m.

Where:

Conference call line: 866-299-3188 Code: 410 267 5710

On Thursday, July 23, the Chesapeake Executive Council (EC) will hold a public meeting and press event during which they are expected to announce the completion of the long-anticipated strategies for meeting the goals of Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, signed last June. The council meets once a year to set the goals and provide guidance for the Chesapeake Bay Program partnership.

These management strategies are the culmination of year-long collaborative efforts by scientists, policy experts and the public. With them in place, Bay Program partners now have the structure that will guide their collective and jurisdictional work toward a restored Bay ecosystem.

For more detailed information as it becomes available, visit the 2015 Executive Council meeting webpage.

Who

• The Honorable Terence R. McAuliffe, Governor, Commonwealth of Virginia (EC Chair)
• The Honorable L. Scott Lingamfelter, Chairman, Chesapeake Bay Commission
• The Honorable Muriel Bowser, Mayor, District of Columbia
• The Honorable Gina McCarthy, Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• The Honorable Boyd K. Rutherford, Lieutenant Governor, State of Maryland
• The Honorable David Small, Secretary, Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Control, State of Delaware
• The Honorable John Quigley, Secretary, Department of Environmental Protection, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
• Jenny Zeng, Associate Director of Federal Affairs, Gov. Cuomo’s Office, State of New York
• The Honorable Ann Mills, Deputy Under Secretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture
• The Honorable Karen Hyun, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife and Parks, U.S. Department of Interior

Where

Meeting & Press Event - US National Arboretum, Visitor’s Center
Address for GPS: 2400 R. St., N.E., Washington, DC

When

Thursday, July 23, 2015 12:15-1:15p.m.

Details

The National Arboretum is open to the public during this event. All are welcome to attend.

Press RSVP by 7/22: Margaret Enloe, menloe@chesapeakebay.net or 410-267-5740.