Aside from butterflies, we have the Northern Beach Tiger beetle which is a tiny, sand colored beetle that lives on sandy beaches throughout the middle and lower Chesapeake Bay (Chesapeake Bay Program).
If there’s one thing the Eastern Shore of Maryland is famously known for, it is shellfish. Crab feasts accompanied by other delicious shellfish are very important and traditional events for Maryland residents. As the authors of Chesapeake Bay Notes and Sketches wrote, according to some translations of Native American languages, the Chesapeake Bay is named “Great Shellfish Bay.” The Bay is the leading source in soft-shell clams, and hard-shell clams are on the rise (“Chesapeake Wildlife”). The Chesapeake’s ideal salinity, temperature, bottom
…show more content…
Crabs spawn near the mouth of the Bay in Virginia water, therefore few sponge crabs (female crabs carrying eggs) are seen in Maryland (“Chesapeake Wildlife”). Juvenile crabs migrate northward to feed and grow in the brackish creeks of the Tidewater.
Although the Easter Shore of Maryland is most well known for their shellfish, the abundance of shellfish barely scratches the surface of the marine life found in the Chesapeake Bay. From the shallows of the Bay to the bottom in one hundred feet of water, the life found in the Bay varies drastically. The different conditions foster an assortment of fish such as permanent residents, migrants, and occasional visitors. It is home to mature fish and is also an important nursery ground for millions of ocean fish (Blair and Ansel 111). About two hundred and two species have been recorded as permanent residents of the Chesapeake and there are four classes of migratory fish (“Chesapeake Wildlife”). Species such as shad, alewife, and striped bass leave the marine environment to spawn in fresh water. In the summer, hardhead, spot, and menhaden reside in the Bay. Bluefish are a common migrant found in the
…show more content…
Now that you know that the Eastern Shore of Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay is the perfect home for birds, forest creatures, shellfish, bug and insects, and a countless number of species of marine life, is your idea of a place where the animals kingdom thrives different? As Mahatma Gandhi said, “The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” Well, the Eastern Shore of Maryland is an essential land of habitat for so many of the creatures that live in our country, and it greatly contributes to the work that our country does to make Earth and safe and happy place for animals to live. Most people think the only animals Maryland is good for is the blue crab. Well, clearly, they should come here and see for themselves that we offer so much more nature to
The Chesapeake Bay is a 200-mile-long estuary extending from Norfolk, VA to Havre de grace Maryland. On average this bay contains about 68 trillion liters of water. This bay is the largest estuary in North America. It inhabits more than 3,000 species of plants, animals, and fish. “Since the early twentieth century, the Chesapeake Bay has experienced serious environmental degradation. Problems include large reductions in sea grass, reduced amounts of finfish and shellfish (especially oysters and crab), seasonal depletions in dissolved oxygen, and increases in sedimentation.” (Atkins & Anderson, 2003) These changes are brought on by pollution (Eutrophication and Toxic Contamination), development, deforestation, and agriculture. And according
It is their home, their thriving place. According to the National WIldlife Federation, ¨The Bay supports 3,600 species of plant and animal life, including more than 300 fish species and 2,700 plant types.”. Not only does the wildlife depend on the bay, but humans do as well. The Chesapeake Bay contains a 64,000-square-mile watershed, this watershed provides large amounts of drinking water for us in Maryland, along with several other states. Everyday, the condition of the water declines, meaning the home for wildlife and our drinking water does too. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation pointed out that, ¨Toxic chemicals are constantly entering the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers and streams via wastewater, agriculture, stormwater, and air pollution. These harmful chemicals, such as mercury, PCBs, and PAHs, do not break down easily and persist in the environment for many years, impacting not just fish and birds, but humans as well.¨. How important does the restoration of the bay sound
Scientists and researchers began giving a large volume of effort and look into the extremely complex problems that face the Chesapeake Bay. When research for the improving and saving of the Bay’s overall health began it seemed very simple and there were only a couple of problems. The problems included nutrients from agricultural runoff; these nutrients were phosphorus and nitrogen. The combination of the nutrients in the Bay caused a large volume of algae that choked some of the marine life. While bringing in algae the nutrients also killed grasses on the seafloor. These seafloor bed grasses that once covered more than half of the Chesapeake Bay’s floor now only covered a tenth of their original area. Though the estuary was having problems it did not receive the terrible pollution from industries that many large rivers and lakes do in other urban areas (Brown, p. 397).
While both the people of the New England region and of the Chesapeake region descended from the same English origin, by 1700 both regions had traveled in two diverse directions. Since both of these groups were beset with issues that were unique to their regions and due to their exposure to different circumstances, each was forced to rethink and reconstruct their societies. As a result, the differences in the motivation, geography, and government in the New England and Chesapeake regions caused great divergence in the development of each.
The immigrants that settled the colonies of Chesapeake Bay and New England came to the New World for two different reasons. These differences were noticeable in social structure, economic outlook, and religious background. As the colonies were organized the differences were becoming more and more obvious and affected the way the communities prospered. These differences are evident from both written documents from the colonists and the historical knowledge of this particular period in time.
The middle shore, or middle tide zone, is submerged by water for approximately half of the cycle. This means that there is the capability to support much more marine vegetation, specifically seaweeds. The organisms found there are more complex and larger in size than further up the shore.[9] The rock pools can provide a suitable habitat for small fish, sea urchins, shrimps and zoo plankton. This area is more diversified than the upper shore.
The Maryland Blue Crab, which is the most iconic creature of the Chesapeake, has decreased in population from 276 million in 1990 to 131 million in 2008. This dramatic decrease has caused a cumulative loss to both Maryland and Virginia of 640 million dollars. In an attempt to restore the blue crab population, Maryland and Virginia instituted a public policy to place restrictions on the crabbing of the Chesapeake. This is an example of a command and control policy because public authorities established direct controls on individual actions. This created harsh economic hardships for many crabbers, causing the Secretary of Commerce to decide that the blue crab fishery had undergone a commercial failure as it is defined under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act is the primary authority for fishery management in the United States and it created regional fishery management councils that attempt to establish limits on total catches and regulations. This failure
Types of human activity that affect the Bay's health. Humans either do not see or do not care about the pollution they send into the water. As humans build more factories close to the water or send more waste out of their homes it goes into the Bay causing many problems for the ecosystem. "waste from people's homes, stores, and offices is also treated and discharged into the Bay and its rivers. " (Chesapeake Bay Ecosystem) People do not understand the effects of pollution the Chesapeake Bay Ecosystem says that people believe the water where the pollution is going will dilute the pollution and won’t be as bad. Humans do no understand the problems pollution will cause. The population of the Blue Crabs in the Bay was below average for over 10 years. From 1998 until 2009 the crab ecosystem was so unhealthy they were unable to live and reproduce.
Ray McClain). The ‘farmed’ and the wild crawfish are both composed of the same species, the red swamp crawfish (Procambarus clarkii) and the white river crawfish (P. zonangulus). The more popular of the two crustaceans the red swamp crawfish, as it is caught more often is purchased more at the market. There are other crustaceans that are important to the basin besides crawfish, however. Blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) are a vital resource in Louisiana’s seafood industry. The crabs are harvested by way of traps. In the case that the traps are lost or abandoned, they will continue to catch crabs. This is leading to a downturn in the blue crab population. Fish are also affected by the traps, as they are also caught. Despite the risked to the crab population, , the Marine Stewardship Council recognized the Louisiana blue crab fishery as the only sustainable blue crab fishery in the world in March of
The Chesapeake Bay, which derives from the Algonquin word Chesepiooc meaning “great shellfish bay”, has been around for a very long time. Approximately 35 million years ago, a rare bolide (a comet- or asteroid-like object) hit what is now the lower tip of the Delmarva Peninsula, creating a 55-mile-wide crater. The bolide created what geologists call the “Exmore Crater,” which they believe was as large as Rhode Island and as deep as the Grand Canyon. Although this bolide did not create the Chesapeake Bay, it helped determine that a bay would eventually be located there.
Eutrophication is a concern in the Chesapeake Bay. Eutrophication is caused by excessive amounts of nutrients. Excessive nutrients in the bay have negative effects on the bay's ecosystem. The extra nutrients make the environment unbalanced. The extra nutrients cause a chain reaction that eventually kills most of the organisms in that area. This is what is known as a dead zone.
Scene in Fig. 1.1., the Chesapeake Bay is substantial in size; at roughly 64,000 miles, it contains roughly fifty rivers and thousands of streams and creeks. It encompasses parts of 6 states, including all of Washington, DC. The Chesapeake Bay is what is known as a watershed, an area that contributes to the drainage to a water body, stream, river, lake or ocean. Rainwater that falls within the 64,000 square miles that is the Chesapeake Bay will subsequently travel through many streams and rivers, eventually making its way into the largest estuary system in the United States.
Sample Essays 1993 DBQ: Chesapeake/New England During the 17 th century, differing social, economic, and geographi c factors shaped the Chesapeake region and New England. in different Throughout the century, New England maintained a strong, communal identity while the Chesapeake remained widely scatt ered. Through the hot river valleys of the Chesape ake had a climate that facilitated staple crop plantations and disease, New England’s extreme climate made mas s production of staple crops and the spread of diseas e difficult.
Over 3,000 marine species and birds call the Gulf of Maine home. Coastal marshes and estuaries serve as nurseries
Biological Relationship The biological relationship between C. denticulata and C. columna is interspecific competition. Interspecific competition is the main biotic factor affecting the distribution of C. denticulata and C. columna. A biotic factor is an environmental factor caused by living things. Interspecific competition is competition between two species competing for the same resource. Both species are competing for space on the rocks as far down the shore as possible.