Open Waters

Open water is the habitat beyond the shoreline and shallow waters of the Bay. Here, aquatic reefs replace underwater bay grasses, which do not grow because sunlight cannot penetrate through the deep waters. While the Bay's deep channels often lack oxygen during hot summer months, the oxygenated water above the bottom supports dense communities of pelagic fish and invertebrates.

How are open waters an important habitat?

The Bay's open waters are home to many species of fish, birds and invertebrates.

• Predators like bluefish, weakfish and striped bass; forage fish like Atlantic menhaden and bay anchovies; and invertebrates like jellyfish and blue crabs all thrive in the Bay's open waters.
• Oysters and wrecks at the bottom of open waters create aquatic reefs: hard surfaces that provide habitat for dozens of fish and invertebrates.
• Although unseen by the naked eye, microscopic plants (zooplankton) and animals (phytoplankton) float in open waters and provide a major food source for forage fish, juvenile fish and invertebrates.
• Hundreds of thousands of ducks, including scoters, oldsquaw and mergansers, depend on open waters for the fish and invertebrates they eat during the winter months.