Underwater Grasses

Underwater grasses grow in the shallow waters of the Bay and its streams. They provide food and habitat to wildlife, add oxygen to the water and trap sediment and nutrient pollution.

Brooke Landry of Maryland Department of Natural Resources discusses progress made toward goals for underwater grass coverage set forth in the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement. (Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)
Infographic showing underwater grass abundance in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries from 2000 to 2023.
Underwater grass abundance has changed over time in response to excess pollution and extreme weather. (Data provided by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.)
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The infographic shows an underwater scene with fish, blue crabs and blades of underwater grass that represent bars in a bar chart. The bar chart illustrates estimated underwater grass abundance in the Chesapeake Bay, measured in acres, from 2000 to 2023. From 2000 to 2010, underwater grass abundance remains relatively stable, with peaks of above 80,000 acres in 2001, 2002 and 2009, and lows of between 50,000 and 65,000 acres in 2003, 2006 and 2007. Between 2010 and 2012, underwater grass abundance sees a sharp decline to less than 50,000 acres before steadily increasing to above 110,000 in 2018. But between 2018 and 2020, underwater grass abundance once again drops to about 60,000 acres. Since 2020, underwater grass abundance has again increased, reaching about 80,000 acres in 2024.