Publications

Forage species play an integral role in the Chesapeake Bay food web by supporting higher-trophic level
production. "Forage" was interpreted broadly for this workshop and included invertebrate groups as well
as vertebrates, in recognition of the importance of benthic invertebrates and plankton as forage in the
Chesapeake ecosystem, and in response to needs outlined by the Sustainable Fisheries Goal
Implementation Team (SFGIT) Executive Committee. Most forage species are not directly managed by
the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) or Chesapeake Bay jurisdictions, yet these
species are critical to sustaining production of economically and ecologically valuable fish species in the
Bay. A better understanding of the content of the forage base, habitat areas critical for forage production,
and predator-prey interactions involving these valuable species will be an important step toward
ecosystem-based fisheries management in the Chesapeake Bay.

Much uncertainty surrounds the forage topic. Specifically, it is not clear: 1) what taxa constitute the
forage base (species, groups, etc.); 2) how the scientific community can begin to quantify Chesapeake
forage; 3) what data already exist to quantify the forage base; 4) what essential data and information are
needed; and 5) how such information can be used in management decisions. A two-day workshop was
held on November 12-13, 2014 to convene the necessary scientific and management expertise to address
these uncertainties and to recommend feasible approaches to improve our collective understanding of the
forage base.
The focus of the workshop was on producing a system-wide scientific synthesis of forage and develop
actionable recommendations for its management in support of the managed fished species in the
Chesapeake. Participants were encouraged throughout the workshop to consider how to develop and
recommend workshop products that could best facilitate decision-making by fishery managers. The
workshop was designed to address forage issues in a comprehensive way that is system-wide in scope,
rather than focused on any one species or issue. The emphasis of the workshop, as proposed by the
Steering Committee (SC; Appendix A), was to improve understanding of critical forage needs that
support desirable functioning of the Chesapeake ecosystem. During the workshop, jurisdictional
managers indicated that their primary interest was in describing the forage specifically required to support
managed species. Consequently, much of the workshop discussion and content of this report are focused
specifically on forage groups that support the managed and fished species of the Bay.
This workshop report summarizes outcomes and supports the SFGIT in development of both the "Forage
Fish" and "Fish Habitat" Management Strategies, as specified by the Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP)
Watershed Agreement
(https://www.chesapeakebay.net/documents/FINAL_Ches_Bay_Watershed_Agreement.withsignaturesHIres.pdf).

Download publication‍

Annual report published by the Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee (CBSAC) on the status of the blue crab population in the Chesapeake Bay and management advice for Bay jurisdictions.

Download publication‍

The major objective of the Coordinated Split Sample Program is to establish a measure of comparability between sampling and analytical operations for water quality monitoring basinwide. A secondary objective is to evaluate the in-matrix dilution of standard EPA reference materials. These standard reference materials are analyzed inn appropriate matrix, fresh to saline, and concentration level to match the sample. The CSSP provides the forum and information necessary to promote an on-going refinement of the field and laboratory tecniques rather than assuming that the system is static and never changing. The statistical assessment of the data allows the field and laboratory personnel to improve their respecitve techniques. Inn addition, the description of the data quality provides the necessary information for assessment and application of the data by the intended user.

Download publication‍

Download publication‍

Download publication‍

For watershed modeling purposes, the Chesapeake Bay basin was divided into 63 model segments in 1992 as part of the development of Phase II the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Model (Figure E.1.1). The original phase II segmentation was based on a combination of USGS hydrologic unti boundaries, NOAA shore line data for the Bay, location of water quality gauging stations, and the aggregation of relatively homogeneous hydrologic/topographic reigons. For more detailed documentation on the approach taken in the development of this model please refer to the "Chesapeake Bay Program Watershed Model Application to Calculate Bay Nutrient Loadings."

Download publication‍

for the last 20 years, the Chesapeake Bay Program partners have used various forms of a basic segmentation scheme to organize the collection, analysis and presentation of environmental data. The Chesapeake Bay Program Segmentation Scheme Revision, Decision and Rationales: 1983-2003 provides documentation on the development of the spatial segmentation scheme of the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries and the later revisions and changes over the last 20 years. It contains information on the 1983-1985 original segmentation, the 1997-1998 revisions for the 1997 Re-evaluation, and the 2003 segmentation corrections and expansion. This document provides a concise summary on the segmentation scheme background and a listing of the principal contents of the larger segmentation document related to tidal water designated uses.

Download publication‍

The CSSP has two nmain objectives: identifying parameters with low inter-organization agreement, and estimating measurement system variability. The identification of parameters with low agreement is used as part of the overall Quality Assurance program. Laboratory and program personnel use this information to investigate possible causes of the differences, and take action to increase agreement if possible. Later CSSP results will document any improvements i inter-organization agreement. The variability estimates are most useful to data analysts and modelers who need confidence estimates for monitoring data.

Download publication‍

The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in North America and one of the most productive aquatic ecosystems on the planet. Its 166,000 square kilometer watershed drains farmlands, forests, marshes, and urban areas in six state, and is home to 14.2 million people. Historically, the Chesapeake Bay has supported a large commercial fisheries. The wetlands surrounding the bay provide winter habitat for many migratory waterfow. Dramatic decreases in natural habitat and water quality during the past four decades includes the virtual elimiantion of submerged aquatic vegetation and the substaantial increase in seasonal anoxia in the Bay's channel. More recent water quality strategies in the Chesapeake Bay region are based on controlling activities within the watershed and tributaries (1991) Amendments to the Chesapeake Bay Agreement).

Download publication‍

this study was designed to evaluate ambient toxicity in the Chesapeake Bay watershed by using a battery of water column and sediment toxicity tests in concert with both fish and benthic community assessments. A team of scientists from two Chesapeake Bay research laboratories, Maryland Department of Natural Resources and Versar Inc. worked jointly to complete this goal. Water column toxicity studies and overall project management were directed by Lenwood W. Hall, Jr. of the University of Maryland's Agricultural Experiment Station. Sediment toxicity tests and water/sediment chemical analysis were managed by Alan Messing of Old Dominion Universities Applied Marine Research Laboratory. Margaret McGinty of Maryland Department of Natural Resources was responsible for the fish community assessments and Ananda Ranasinghe of Versar Inc. conducted the benthic community assessments. Raymond Alden was responsible for the water and sediment index calculations. This report summarizes data from the seventh year of a seven-year ambient toxicity testing program. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Chesapeake Bay Program Office supported this study.

Download publication‍