NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WBOC/AP)- Bay grasses, crabs and rockfish are showing signs of resilience in the Chesapeake Bay. But the bay continues to suffer from poor water quality hampered by a growing population.
That's according to a new bay barometer report released Thursday in Newport News, Va., by the Chesapeake Bay Program that provides a snapshot of data from 2011 and 2012.
The report says grasses are one of the bay's successes. Grasses in the large Susquehanna Flats near the top of the bay not only survived Tropical Storm Lee in 2011, but grasses in the mid-bay have seen dramatic increases. However, only 34 percent of the bay met standards for water oxygen levels, and water clarity was very poor.
"While we clearly have a lot of work to do, the bay is resilient and we have reason for hope," said Bay Program Director Nick DiPasquale in a statement. "We know this complex ecosystem will respond to restoration efforts and we expect to see encouraging results in 2012 data as it comes in over the course of the year."
The Chesapeake Bay Program is the federal and state partnership that coordinates bay restoration.
