Chesapeake Bay Projects
Patapsco, Patuxent and West Rivers: A Partnership for Ghost Pot Removal
February-March 2010
Summary: More than 360 watermen were hired to remove unusable crab pots from the bottom of the West, Patuxent and Patapsco rivers through a partnership between the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the Oyster Recovery Partnership and Versar, Inc. The project was part of Governor Martin O’Malley’s effort to help mitigate the economic losses watermen incurred from the declining blue crab fishery while also helping to restore the Chesapeake Bay.
Sonar studies indicate that thousands of old crab pots, known as ghost pots, litter the bottom of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, with high concentrations in the Patapsco, Patuxent, and West rivers. Most were lost due to storms or when buoy lines were cut by boat propellers. A 1990 survey of commercial crabbers indicated that 10- to 30-percent of their pots were lost each year. These ghost pots can still trap and kill crabs and finfish and can pose continued ecological damage by luring bay life to feed on the trapped species. In 2008, the Chesapeake Bay crab fishery was declared a federal disaster due to the historic low blue crab population and $15 million in federal funds were allocated for disaster relief. U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski and the Maryland Congressional Delegation led efforts to secure this funding and the Ghost Pot Recovery Project is one of recovery efforts supported with these funds.
Nanticoke River Oyster Project: A Small Watershed Grant to Support the Marylanders Grow Oysters Initiative
Dorchester County, Maryland
September 2009 - August 2010
Summary: Oyster Recovery Partnership (ORP) was awarded a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to continue their work in improving the condition of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed as a partner in the expansion of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Marylanders Grow Oysters initiative. ORP will provide the infrastructure and opportunity for waterfront landowners to participate in a regular, hands-on experience in Bay restoration, educate the general public about the benefits of oyster restoration towards improving the Bay’s health and inform them on how they can become involved through an active website that tracks progress.
One of the leading causes of the decline in water quality is pollution runoff. Overdevelopment can accelerate the amount of runoff if not properly addressed. The Corsica River Watershed community is building rain gardens to reduce the impacts of development.ORP is partnering with the Nanticoke Watershed Alliance and Perdue Farms to place several hundred oyster cages at piers along the Nanticoke River. In addition, the Oyster Recovery Partnership will coordinate with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to work with other community groups participating in 2009-2010 programs to support the production and distribution of oyster cages and oysters to the communities selected by the State to assist them in being able to implement the program. The millions of oysters raised through this project will the placed on targeted sanctuaries and will enhance the ecological function of these oyster reefs.
Corsica River Watershed: A Community Response to Pollution Runoff
Queen Anne County, Maryland
August 2006 - April 2010
Summary: One of the leading causes of the decline in water quality is pollution runoff. Overdevelopment can accelerate the amount of runoff if not properly addressed. The Corsica River Watershed community is building rain gardens to reduce the impacts of development.
The Corsica River Watershed project, which is a partnership between the Chesapeake Bay Recovery Partnership, the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, seeks to effectively address urban and suburban stormwater runoff in the Corsica River watershed. First, the Partnership will conduct a targeted education and outreach campaign to raise awareness about the sources of storm water runoff and relevant Best Management Practices (BMPs). The Partnership also will help private land owners gain access to technical and financial resources to implement BMPs such as wetland restoration, biorentention projects, grassed swale improvements, reforestation, and pollution prevention activities. The project will result in the treatment of 50 acres of urban/suburban lands through the integration of 200 innovative non-structural BMPs on privately held lands, as well as restore 10 acres of wetlands and create of 50 acres of riparian buffers.