January 2009 Volume 18 - Number 10
Eels get a lift to former home on Susquehanna
Across Pennsylvania, fishermen thought 1904 was a tough year for eels. Of the 316 licensed eel fishermen, the third highest catch came from a Lancaster County man who trapped 8,000 eels, weighing just 1,928 pounds.
"Complaints are made this year that owing to the lowness of the streams the run of eels was very small and the catch not nearly up to the average," said a report from the state Department of Fisheries.
The fishermen had no idea how bad things could get.
Twenty-four years later, the Conowingo Dam sealed the fate of eels on the Susquehanna, blocking all but the first 10 miles of the river to migratory fish.
But last year, for the first time in decades, American eels were back in Lancaster County. They came in cattle tanks, loaded onto the back of pickup trucks.
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Full Story].
Get the Dirt Out effort works to get construction sites to clean up their acts: Diana Muller has one word for the gouged muddy lot of a partially built home in the South River watershed: hideous.
MD buys 20 miles of Potomac, Bay waterfront : Five large tracts of land valued at about $72 million, which includes nearly 20 miles of Potomac River and Bay waterfront, is being acquired by Maryland as part of what Gov. Martin O'Malley called a "once in a lifetime opportunity."
Zebra mussels found in lower Susquehanna: Zebra mussels, the infamous invader from the Caspian Sea that has infested the Great Lakes and other water bodies, have finally made their way to the fringes of the Chesapeake Bay.
Chesapeake Watershed Network brings Bay partners together: The St. Mary's River Watershed Association is advertising a new way to rally its current and future members in its community.
Hypoxia may not be top factor for decline in fish populations: The number of oxygen-starved "dead zones" in coastal waters around the world continues to increase, but recent studies question whether worsening water quality in places like the Chesapeake Bay is the primary factor that limits fish populations.
Scientists, policy leaders unite, argue for more aggressive cleanup: A diverse group of Bay scientists, former policy leaders, authors and others issued a joint statement in December calling for more aggressive-and enforceable-actions to clean up the Chesapeake.
VIMS founder, William Hargis dies; was director from 1962-81: Dr. William Jennings Hargis Jr., the first director of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science died Oct. 17.
Holtwood, citing economy, cancels plans to improve fish lift: Hopes of giving migrating shad a boost up the Susquehanna River were dashed in December when the owners of the Holtwood Dam, citing poor economic conditions, withdrew plans to improve fish passage while increasing power generation.
MD proposes new limits on blue crab harvests in 2009: Maryland in December proposed setting daily limits on female crab harvests and closing the commercial harvest periodically throughout the season next year with the goal of reviving the Chesapeake Bay's damaged crab population.
