Chesapeake Bay Program - A Watershed Partnership

Habitats

The Bay and its surrounding watershed provide a number of diverse habitats where the region's animals live and plants grow. Each fish, bird and tree has specific habitat needs that must be met for it to survive. Shad, for example, must spawn in freshwater streams and rivers. Blue crabs need healthy underwater grass beds in the shallows to hide from predators.

Many of the Bay's habitats, such as marshes, forests and aquatic reefs, are also important to the health of the Bay. The oysters that make up aquatic reefs filter particles from the water and help improve water clarity, while wetlands and forests trap pollutants and flood waters.

Sections

Forests

Learn about the vital importance of forests to the Chesapeake Bay, including their ability to filter pollutants and provide wildlife habitat.

Wetlands

Learn about the Chesapeake Bay's wetlands, including marshes, swamps and bogs, and why they are so important to the Bay, its wildlife, and the people who live here.

Streams & Rivers

Learn how the Chesapeake Bay's freshwater streams and rivers are important to the Bay and its aquatic life.

Shallow Waters

Along the Chesapeake Bay's shore is a zone of incredible biological activity: the shallows. Defined as the area from the shoreline to a depth of about 10 feet, shallow waters support a vast assortment of life. Learn about the many plants and animals that call the shallows home.

Tidal Marshes

Tidal marshes are border habitats that connect shorelines to forests and wetlands. Tidal marshes provide food and shelter for the vast array of fish, birds, invertebrates and other animals. Learn about the three different types of tidal marshes and the benefits they provide.

Aquatic Reefs

An aquatic reef is a solid, three-dimensional, highly structured ecological community with oysters as its dominant species. Reefs provide vital habitat for Bay species such as finfish, shellfish and invertebrates.

Open Waters

Open water is the habitat beyond the shoreline and shallow waters of the Bay. The Bay's open waters are home to dense communities of pelagic fish and invertebrates, as well as several bird species.