FEATURE ARTICLE

January 2010

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New Initiatives for Chesapeake Bay Restoration and Protection—The Government Gets Serious about the Bay

The Chesapeake Bay is an ecosystem in stress. Poor water quality, over-development of surrounding shoreline, disease affecting bay fish and shellfish, overfishing, invasive species, climate change, population increase, hypoxia and contaminants have all contributed to the gradual degradation of the bay. After 25 years of effort and millions of dollars spent by the federal government, states and localities, the bay’s health is far from stated recovery goals. The decline of the bay ecosystem affects not only the over 3,600 species of plants and animals that rely on the bay. A less productive bay threatens to still an economic engine that has powered the surrounding states for generations, as well as the cultural identity of the bay’s unique cities and towns.