OCEAN CITY, Md- Report cards have been issued in Maryland, but not the kind you might think.
Instead, they're report cards indicating the water quality of Maryland Coastal Bays--and for the first time in nearly 30 years, the bays received a grade in the "B" range.
This grade is its highest one yet--and many are excited to see an improvement.
Some recreational fisherman, like those at the Isle of Wight Bay, say the jump from the "C" range to now, is worth celebrating.
"Ten years ago it was pretty dirty, low catches, a lot of less fish, but the past ten years it's picked up quite a bit, it's a lot better," Norman Whaley, a local fisherman said.
"You can tell in the back creeks that more vegetation is growing, more grass beds, a lot more of everything, like fish and crabs," he said.
The report based its scores off of four water quality indicators like nitrogen, phosphorous, chlorophyll, and dissolved oxygen.
It also examined biotic health like seagrasses and hard clams.
Some in the area say they're happy to see this improvement--they hope it will directly impact marine life.
"This is where the eggs are laid, this is the feeding for the ocean front, so you pollute this, and then you're destroying what's out there," Lloyd Keller, who frequently visits the Isle of Wight Bay said.
Though the Maryland Coastal Bays improved overall, other parts of the watershed did not.
Places like Assawoman Bay received a "C" grade, a slight decrease from the "C" plus grade it received last year.
Newport Bay also didn't increase, and maintained its water quality of a "C" minus.
Some hope the bays will continue to improve over time--many hoping it will receive an "A" in years to come.