Chesapeake Bay Program - A Watershed Partnership

Bay Restoration

In the mid-1970s, U.S. Senator Charles Mathias (R-Md.) saw the Bay of his youth in distress. He began a fact-finding tour of marine science institutions around the Bay to try to understand the Chesapeake's decline. His efforts eventually led to the formation of the Chesapeake Bay Program, a multi-jurisdictional partnership that is working to restore and protect the Bay and its many resources. Since the Bay Program's creation, its federal and state partners have met many goals and continue to work toward others to restore the Bay.

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Restoring Water Quality

Bay Program partners are working to reduce pollution from multiple sources and restore water quality in the Bay and its tributaries.
Agriculture | Air Deposition | Wastewater Treatment | Land Development | Forested Lands | Erosion Prevention

Habitat Restoration

Restoring wildlife habitat for fish, birds, crabs and mammals is an essential part of Bay restoration. Proper habitats give animals and place to live and, in many cases, help improve water quality.
Restoring Bay Grasses | Wetlands Restoration | Fish Passage

Managing Fisheries

Ecosystem-based fishery management plans will help scientists better understand how stock abundance relates to prey availability, habitat quality and other factors.
Blue Crab Management | Oyster Management | American Shad Management | Atlantic Menhaden Management | Striped Bass Management

Protecting Watersheds

Restoration activities that take place upstream of the Bay, such as preserving land and restoring forest buffers, will benefit the Chesapeake and its many local waterways and diverse communities.
Watershed Management Plans | Land Preservation | Forest Buffer Restoration

Stewardship & Ed.

Formal and informal education opportunities like outreach and public access help all residents learn about and care for the Bay and its rivers.
Education & Interpretation | Citizen & Community Action | Public Access | Communications & Outreach

Bay Restoration Assessment:

Progress toward restoration of the Chesapeake, as assessed in March 2008:

• Reducing Pollution: Overall, based on available data, Bay Program scientists project that little more than half of the pollution reduction efforts needed to achieve the nutrient goals have been undertaken since 1985. 
• Restoring Habitats: Overall, habitat restoration efforts are collectively 48 percent to Program goals; up from 45 percent in 2006, however, there is concern about the overall quality of habitats that remain. 
• Managing Fisheries: Progress toward fisheries management goals ranges from 37-63 percent for the five key Bay fisheries, unchanged from 2006.
• Protecting Watersheds: Overall, watershed protection efforts show good progress and are 71 percent of the way toward meeting current Program goals, up from 69 percent in 2006.
• Fostering Stewardship: Overall the Program has reached 68 percent of its fostering stewardship goals, a rise of one percent from 2006.

To learn more about Bay restoration, visit our Bay restoration assessment section.