Bay Grasses - Distribution Used to Set the Restoration Goal in 2003
- Author:
- Howard Weinberg
- Date Created:
- January 29, 2008
This map shows the historic distribution of bay grasses that was used in 2003 to set the Chesapeake Bay Program SAV (or bay grass) restoration goal of 184,899 acres. This goal is based on an aggregation of the maximum amount of SAV surveyed in a single year for each Bay Program monitoring segment. Bay grasses are a vital part of the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. They provide habitat for crabs and juvenile fish and food for waterfowl. Bay grasses grow mostly in waters that are 2 meters in depth or less and are negatively affected by poor water clarity.