Upcoming Meetings

No upcoming meetings.

Scope and Purpose

The Forage Action Team will lead the development of the forage fish management strategy associated with the forage fish outcome in the new Watershed Agreement. This team will include representatives from state management agencies, academic institutions, non-profits, and other science experts. The management strategy will outline important actions, considerations, and research priorities that will inform a comprehensive assessment and/or quantification of the Chesapeake Bay forage base.

Publications

Forage Status and Trends Report for the Chesapeake Bay

Published by the Forage Action Team in November 2023, this report summarizes the status of different forage species found within the Chesapeake Bay. It is a culmination of research conducted from 2014 to 2023, and can be used to assess whether key predator populations have enough food. It also identifies remaining knowledge gaps and a path forward for the development of forage indicators.

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Forage Fish Habitat Suitability Model Final Report

This study, conducted by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and Anchor QEA, coupled fisheries survey data with dissolved oxygen and hydrodynamic models to develop habitat suitability indices for four key forage fishes in Chesapeake Bay. These indices were used to quanitfy the extent of suitable habitat available for each species throughout the Bay and its tributaries over time.

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Watershed Agreement

Sustainable Fisheries Goal

Members

Bruce Vogt (Chair), Ecosystem Science Manager, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Address:
200 Harry S. Truman Parkway Suite 460
Annapolis, Maryland 21401

Email:  Bruce.Vogt@noaa.gov
Phone:  (410) 267-5655
Bryan King, District of Columbia Department of Energy & Environment (DOEE)
Address:
Fisheries and Wildlife Division
1200 First Street, Sixth Floor, #688
Washington D.C., District of Columbia 20002

Email:  bryan.king@dc.gov
Phone:  (202) 997-9607
Geoffrey Smith, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission
Address:
TBD
TBD, Pennsylvania TBD

Email:  geofsmith@pa.gov
Charles Poukish, Maryland Department of the Environment
Address:
1800 Washington Boulevard
Baltimore, Maryland 21230

Email:  cpoukish@mde.state.md.us
Chris Moore, Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Address:
3663 Marlin Bay Drive
Virginia Beach, Virginia 23454

Email:  cmoore@cbf.org
Phone:  (757) 622-1964
Mary Fabrizio, Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS)
Address:
PO Box 1346
Gloucester Point, Virginia 23062

Email:  mfabrizio@vims.edu
Ed Houde, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Address:
146 Williams St
Solomons, Maryland 20688

Email:  ehoude@umces.edu
Matthew Ogburn, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC)
Address:
647 Contees Wharf Road
Edgewater, Maryland 21037

Email:  ogburnm@si.edu
Jim Uphoff, Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Address:
904 South Morris St
Cooperative Oxford Laboratory
Oxford, Maryland 21654

Email:  jim.uphoff@maryland.gov
Jorge Holzer Bilbao, Maryland Sea Grant
Address:
University of Maryland
2116B Symons Hall
College Park, Maryland 20742

Email:  jholzer@arec.umd.edu
Kirk Havens, Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS)
Address:
PO Box 1346
Gloucester Point, Virginia 23062

Email:  kirk@vims.edu
Phone:  (804) 684-7386
Peter Tango, Monitoring Coordinator, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
Address:
1750 Forest Drive Suite 130
Annapolis, Maryland 21401

Email:  ptango@chesapeakebay.net
Phone:  (410) 267-9875
Martin Gary, Potomac River Fisheries Commission
Address:
222 Taylor Street
Colonial Beach, Virginia 22443

Email:  martingary.prfc@gmail.com
Phone:  (804) 224-7148
Patrick Campfield, Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
Address:
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission
1050 North Highland Street, Suite 200A-N
Arlington, Virginia 22201

Email:  PCampfield@asmfc.org
Peter Himchak, Omega Protein Corporation, Inc.
Address:
Omega Protein Corporation, P.O. Box 85
Tuckerton, New Jersey 08087

Email:  peter.himchak@cookeaqua.com
Phone:  (609)-331-2255
Tom Ihde, Morgan State University Patuxent Environmental & Aquatic Research Laboratory
Address:
10545 Mackall Road
Saint Leonard, Maryland 20685

Email:  thomas.ihde@morgan.edu
Ryan Woodland, UMCES Chesapeake Biological Laboratory (CBL)
Address:
146 Williams Street
Solomons, Maryland 20688

Email:  woodland@umces.edu
Somers Smott, Virginia Marine Resources Commission
Address:
380 Fenwick Road
Hampton, Virginia 23651

Email:  somers.smott@mrc.virginia.gov
Troy Tuckey, Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS)
Address:
1370 Greate Road
Gloucester Point, Virginia 23062

Email:  tuckey@vims.edu
Rochelle Seitz, Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS)
Address:
1370 Greate Road
Gloucester Point, Virginia 23062

Email:  seitz@vims.edu
Rebecca LePrell, Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Address:
3663 Marlin Bay Dr
Virginia Beach, Virginia 23455

Email:  rleprell@cbf.org
Louis Plough, UMCES Horn Point Laboratory
Address:
2020 Horns Point Road
Cambridge, Maryland 21613

Email:  lplough@umces.edu
Adrienne Kotula, Chesapeake Bay Commission
Address:
60 West Street
Annapolis, Maryland 21401

Email:  Akotula@chesbay.us