Underwater grasses continued to mount a comeback in the lower Chesapeake Bay last year, while a steady recovery also continued in upper portions of the Bay. Areas in between were a different story, as declines in the mid-section of the Chesapeake more than offset improvements elsewhere.
Overall, data from the 2024 aerial survey showed a mixed bag of results, with the Baywide acreage of underwater meadows— one of the Chesapeake’s most critical habitats— decreasing by about 1% but with diverse trends in different areas.
“This year really shows just how dynamic the system is, that we can have two very different trends emerge in different areas,” said Chris Patrick, a researcher with the Virginia Institute of Marine Science who oversees the annual aerial survey of grass beds…