Improving Chesapeake Bay Fisheries Sustainability Through Habitat Management

The Chesapeake Bay is home to more than 250 species of fish and shellfish. Ever since European settlement, the Chesapeake Bay’s rich estuarine ecosystem has supported major fisheries and the livelihoods of residents who adopted a water-dependent way of life. But over recent decades, the populations of many of these fish and shellfish have declined dramatically, due to pollution, habitat loss, and overfishing.  Of particular concern is habitat loss.  Habitat links individual species with the Chesapeake ecosystem as a whole. The abundance, spatial arrangement, and quality of habitats affect several important factors; encounter rates between predators and prey, availability of refuges from predation, growth rates, incidence of disease, and many other processes that potentially influence the sustainability of fisheries.  NOAA is working with state managers, scientists and land planners to better integrate habitat considerations into land and fishery management.  Efforts are currently underway to identify critical habitat areas (spawning areas and feeding grounds) for Chesapeake Bay fish species that can be targeted for protection and restoration efforts.  Showing linkages among habitats, and the way that habitat links species, will help connect habitat management to fisheries management and more sustainable outcomes.