2025 Was a Good Year for Bay Grass

Almost certainly not Chesapeake Bay

From the Bay Journal, Chesapeake grass beds expand for fifth year in a row

Chesapeake Bay underwater grass beds expanded for the fifth consecutive year in 2025,
driven in large part by the surprising resurgence of underwater meadows in the lower Bay.

Underwater grasses provide critical habitat and are one of the most closely watched indicators of Bay health. Last year’s annual aerial survey found the most submerged aquatic vegetation, or SAV, since 2018. The coverage was sixth highest reported since the survey began in 1984.

Grass beds generally increased throughout the Bay in 2025, but the best news came in the high-salinity areas in Virginia. That area had the most underwater grasses ever seen in the survey — surpassing the record set in 2024 by 13%.

“We are just exploding in the saltiest waters of the Chesapeake,” said Chris Patrick, a researcher with the Virginia Institute of Marine Science who oversees the survey. “The eelgrass is just doing phenomenal.”

Overall, the amount of SAV in the Bay and tidal portions of its tributaries increased by approximately 7% in 2025 compared with the same areas in 2024.

But the 82,968 acres mapped by the survey almost certainly undercounted the extent of the grasses by thousands of acres. Extended periods of poor weather, government shutdowns and restricted access to some sites limited aerial photography in some places, primarily in Virginia.

Those areas contained 6,417 acres of SAV in 2024. Assuming those sites had similar coverage in 2025, scientists estimate that the Baywide total in 2025 was likely closer to 89,385 acres.

2026 is likely to be a good year too, guessing from the weather. 

Maryland, My Maryland

 From the Cap Gaze, Cunningham Falls reopens after rabid beaver attacks

Maryland officials have restored water access at Hunting Creek Lake and nearby portions of Cunningham Falls State Park in Thurmont after finding no evidence of continued beaver activity, the Department of Natural Resources said Monday. The areas in Frederick County had been closed after two teenagers were attacked by rabid beavers on July 26 and Aug. 5. Both animals were euthanized and tested positive for rabies.

Since the attacks, Department of Natural Resources employees and police worked with Maryland Park Service staff to determine whether the area was safe to reopen. The state said it used trail cameras, trapping and thermal surveys conducted by biologists to monitor for beaver activity. Staff did not observe any beaver activity near Hunting Creek Lake during that time, the department said.

The reopening comes after a separate beaver attack Aug. 13 near Darnestown in Montgomery County, about 35 miles away. A 10-year-old girl was attacked while her summer camp was visiting the area, according to the state. A beaver later found dead nearby tested positive for rabies, but officials said it was unclear whether it was the same animal that attacked the girl. That incident remains under investigation, and the area near the attack, including a parking lot and nearby river access point, remains closed.

State officials said beavers generally are not aggressive and tend to avoid human contact. Attacks linked to rabies infections are rare, according to the state. The last similar attacks recorded in Maryland were in 2021 and 2015.

I wonder how the beavers contracted rabies. In this part of the world, rabies is endemic in the racoons, foxes and skunks. Adult beavers are pretty big, and I have trouble imagining any of these animals attempting to take one on, except, I guess, if they were rabid. Maybe a coyote? 

Beach Report 8/23/26 - Meg!

Not a big Megalodon tooth, or a particularly well preserved one, but a Meg nonetheless. The bourlette is kinda sorta visible, and the serrations are well worn but apparent.

And while it's not complete, it is more than a mere fragment.

Otherwise it was not a very hot day for fossils; 11 teeth, a crab claw and 2 drum teeth.

We had a very high tide yesterday, and we didn't even attempt the beach. Then we had three thunderstorms overnight, which dumped 2.4 inches of rain, mostly in a few minutes.

However, the cold front dropped the temperature and humidity out of the stupid range into tolerable.

There were a few changes at the beach. Some of the logs moved a bit.

ASMFC Considers Reallocating Menhaden Quotas

 From National Fisherman, Commission could revisit how menhaden quota is divided among states

Atlantic menhaden management could face another major discussion this fall, this time over how the coastwide catch is divided among East Coast states.The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) is expected to consider in November whether to begin a process to reallocate state menhaden quotas, according to the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP), which is pushing for changes to a system based largely on historical landings. 

TRCP argues the current allocations no longer reflect where menhaden are being found or how fishermen use the resource today. Virginia receives more than 75 percent of the state allocation, supporting the East Coast's only remaining large-scale menhaden reduction fishery, operated by Omega Protein and supplied by Ocean Harvesters. Farther north, menhaden are an important bait source for lobster, crab and other commercial fisheries, with states relying in part on set-asides and quota transfers to meet demand.

"More balanced state allocations would strengthen bait supply, reduce dependence on temporary quota transfers, and better distribute the economic benefits of this resource along the Atlantic," said Jaclyn Lunaas, forage fish program manager for TRCP.

The organization points to increasing concentrations of menhaden in New England waters as another reason to reconsider allocations. Menhaden, also known as bunker or pogies, are also an important forage species for striped bass, bluefish, tuna, marine mammals and seabirds. The potential reallocation discussion comes as ASMFC is already considering other changes to menhaden management, particularly in the Chesapeake Bay.

It's certainly true that we're not seeing the large schools of adult menhaden that we used to in the Maryland portion of the Bay. It was pretty easy to blame Omega's giant, airplane assisted purse seining in the Virginia waters, but it well could be that Menhaden changed their migration patterns for some as yet undetermined reason, and many fewer have come this way.

WaPoo opines This little fish anchors the East Coast food web. A fight over it is brewing.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: More Coffee, Please up on time and under budget at The Other McCain (if you count Megan).

The Wednesday Wetness

WBOC, Maryland celebrates hitting Bay pollution goals; some watermen say numbers don't match what they're seeing

Maryland is celebrating a milestone in Chesapeake Bay restoration after Gov. Wes Moore announced the state has achieved nearly all of its 2025 Chesapeake Bay restoration goals. But some watermen say the pollution reduction target numbers don't reflect the conditions they're experiencing on the water. The Maryland Department of the Environment says the state has hit 100% of its sediment reduction goal, 100% of its phosphorus goal, and 99% of its nitrogen reduction goal.
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But Captain Robert Newberry, president of the Delmarva Fisheries Association, says the pollution reduction target numbers published don't line up with conditions that watermen are reporting. "It's not my opinion, I'm taking up a conglomerate of what everybody's saying. We have problems with the numbers. They're not right," Newberry said.

Newberry says he spoke with watermen from Cecil, Kent, Queen Anne's, Talbot, Dorchester, Somerset, Baltimore, Anne Arundel, St. Mary's, Calvert and Charles counties while researching the issue, and says the consensus among them was skepticism.  “The upper bay, the guys have been seeing, dead zones, benthic zones, bad water all summer long. And they saw it in the south too, they’re seeing extremely turbid water, which is non-visible,” said Newberry. "Nothing was getting done in one year. All of a sudden, boom, we hit 100% phosphorus reduction, 99% nitrogen and 100% sediment. That's not the consensus I'm getting bay wide.”
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Allison Colden, Maryland executive director of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, says the numbers released this week are based on bay-wide modeling and show Maryland has met or is on track to meet its reduction goals. But she cautions that models don’t tell the whole story.

"Models are always inherently an abstract of what we are seeing in reality," Colden said. "It's a necessity to simplify what we're seeing in order to produce a model. And because of that simplification, there's always a chance that there is, you know, some sort of gap between what the model would predict and what we are seeing. That doesn't necessarily mean the model is wrong.”

That's almost the definition of a model being wrong; when it doesn't match reality. 

Back From Fishin'

Today's crew, Sarah and Ben, a young couple from St. Mary's County and Case, a New Jersey angler.

With the Striped Bass closure in effect, Pete was looking for Redfish and Bluefish schools by running south along the eastern channel edge using side scan sonar primarily. There were no working birds to be found.

He located a school of blues on the way south, and we caught more than enough, and I and Sarah also picked Spanish Mackerel to boot. On the way back up, Pete located what he thought was a school of Redfish on the sonar, but Ben caught this 37 inch Cobia. I was jealous. 

Hooper Island light. It looks a little fixed up, now that it's in private ownership. There were no fish here.

Beach Report 8/11/26

Cooler than yesterday, mid 80s, thanks to a thunderstorm and cold front that rolled through last PM, it was still pretty warm and humid.

A pretty decent tide, with lots of shell and gravel

The best of 30 teeth, a stunning 1 1/2 inch White Shark ancestor, Carcharodon hastalis.

Beach Report 8/7/26

Hot and humid. Showing 93 F at home, maybe a little lower at the beach, but not too much because what little breeze there was came from the southwest, off the land.

It was a good low tide, with lots of 'stuff' to look through.

I found this big Snaggletooth upper, 1 1/4 inch, only a little worse of wear (it's missing some root) half buried next to the concrete rings that are sometimes used to make the little groins. It was the best of 20 teeth, a couple of drum's teeth, and the mandatory crab claw.

Beach Report 7/24/26

 

Brown Pelican on the remains of the south jetty at Flag Harbor. Now, pelicans aren't exactly rare on the Bay, but I've never seen them fishing close to shore here, and resting on the jetties. I don't know what it means, but wherever pelicans are, bait fish can't be far away.

It was another cool, gorgeous day. Unfortunately, the fossil hunting was subpar. 

The Lantern Flies are Here

Two days ago we had a thunderstorm accompanied by high winds. Yesterday, when we went down to the beach in the afternoon, there were many of them washed up on the beach. Although I knew Chinese Lantern Flies had made it to Calvert County, this was the first time I had seen them. Not a great thing. Hopefully, the birds will discover their edibility, and help suppress them.

It was a gorgeous day, as days following storm systems often are, in the upper 70s with clear skies and low humidity.

We took Gabby out on our walk, and she found her first shark's tooth. In fact, she found 4 of them, three of them so small they would be hard for adult to spot. Of course, she dropped the first one she found and lost it, after insisting she would be able to keep hold of it.

The Bay Has More Oysters and Watermen Want Them

Bay Journal, Bill could open future Bay oyster sanctuaries to commercial harvest

Environmentalists are decrying language added to a U.S. House spending bill that would open future federally supported oyster restoration projects around the Chesapeake Bay to commercial harvesting.

U.S. Rep. Andy Harris, Maryland’s lone Republican member of Congress, inserted the provision into a bill funding the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The House Appropriations Committee passed the bill on a 32-28 vote in May. It is expected to come up for a vote by the full House in the coming weeks.

The provision is likely to face stiff opposition if it reaches the Senate. A similar measure was stripped out of last year’s funding package before it became law. But it is part of a growing number of efforts in Washington, Annapolis and Richmond aiming to soften or remove the protected status of restored reefs amid the bivalve’s rebound in the estuary.

“It comes at a time when ideas like this maybe have more legs,” said Ben Ford, the Miles-Wye Riverkeeper. “Everyone wants more oysters in the Bay. But people see the success of meeting the oyster restoration goals in the Bay Agreement and think the job’s done.”

It's worth noting that Andy Harris, the sole Republican in Maryland's congressional delegation, represents a district on the Eastern Shore, where the politics are dominated by watermen and agriculture. Watermen have long balked at having oyster sanctuaries protected from harvesting, and they've been known to sneak in under cover of darkness and pillage them. 

Although oyster populations have improved in recent years, they are nowhere near the numbers that existed before the widespread oyster mining of the late 1800s and early 1900s. I'm still in favor of stopping the harvest of "wild" oysters for 5-10 years to find out how well they will be able to flourish in the modern Bay.

Beach Report 7/21/26

When I got to the beach this afternoon, there were a bunch of pelicans sitting on the jetty, and a few were diving in the water:

And this is what they were eating, Menhaden schools in the shallow water.

Way up the beach I encountered this White-tailed Deer and her fawn:

At first they didn't see me, but when she finally did, she snorted, and they ran off back up the creek bed.

The Ospreys and eagles were out, too, and, oh yeah, I found 17 unremarkable shark's teeth.

Beach Report 7/20/26

The heat has subsided, and the air cleared, mostly. It was in the lower 80s, with a trace of east wind.

There was more sand than gravel on the beach, but I did manage to find this broken upper Snaggletooth. Feeding damage. You can imagine what happens to a tooth like this when it comes down on a piece of bone, or coral.

Is the Bay Ready for The Thrilla from Manila

 At the Baltimore Sun, Could a popular delicacy yet invasive shellfish come to Chesapeake Bay? "Manila clams make up of one of the most heavily cultivated and commercially valuable species in the world."

Manila clams, a popular global delicacy known to also be invasive, could come to the Chesapeake Bay — but might not necessarily harm the ecosystem, experts say.

The exotic species originally from Asia was recently discovered near the northwestern Atlantic coastline off Cape Cod, Massachusetts, one of the last places in the northern hemisphere to remain free of the mollusk, a collaborative team of marine biologists found.

Manila clams make up one of the most heavily cultivated and commercially valuable species in the world. The shellfish, however, can become invasive through its rapid breeding and overtaking native ecosystems, marine ecologist Aly Putnam, who was the paper’s lead author, told The Baltimore Sun.
Matt Gray, a professor in the ecophysiology of bivalves at University of Maryland, told The Sun the saltwater clams would be more likely to populate in the south of the Chesapeake, near Virginia, rather than Maryland because of the saltiness and depth of the water.

 OK, so not here. That's something.

“We’ve got all the right habitat, enough food and it’s warm enough to support their reproduction and for them to do well down there,” Gray said.

Experts said the mollusks would have to push against gulf streams to eventually land in the Chesapeake, but could accidentally get moved through ships, both commercial and recreational.

Although the clam is invasive in other ecosystems, until they’re physically in the Chesapeake, it’s unknown whether they would initially cause harm, experts said.

Putnam said the clams can end up being a food resource for different animals in different ecosystems, which is a positive.

I'm sure Blue Crabs, Cow Nose Rays and Drum will learn to eat them.

Changes in climate, water temperatures and salinity levels make it harder to predict if a species will adapt or impact existing ecosystems, said Julie Luecke, Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Maryland coastal resource scientist, in a statement to The Sun.

Luecke pointed to a nonnative species such as zebra mussels in the Chesapeake directly harming or outcompeting native freshwater mussels.

An exotic species like Manila clams would generally take away resources that would be put into growing native species and their ecosystem services, Gray said.

“I think it’s bad because we’ve got enough problems with our own clams and oysters that we don’t need additional competitors,” Gray said. “But I just want to say that, if it shows up here, it doesn’t necessarily mean it would be invasive.”

I find it amusing that they're worried about a new clam could take away phytoplankton from other filterfeeders, like oysters and native clams. In Chesapeake Bay, for years our main concern has been too much phytoplankton fueling anoxia. 

Deep Sea Mining off the Bay?

Bay Journal, Environmentalists worry Virginia seabed mining could affect migratory fish

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management (BOEM) began soliciting public comments and industry feedback on potentially leasing more than 2,500 square miles near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay to seabed mining. The public comment period ends July 23.

Minerals targeted for extraction from the ocean floor include manganese, nickel, cobalt and so-called rare earth minerals needed for smartphones, defense systems, medical devices, batteries and other technologies.

Environment Virginia, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Southern Environmental Law Center, Citizens for a Better Eastern Shore and other groups are concerned this could disrupt marine life, commercial fishing and military operations. Dylan Mason, public policy manager with Lynnhaven River NOW, said he’s worried that large sediment plumes from the mining could disrupt migratory species entering the Chesapeake Bay.

In early 2025, President Trump also pointed to environmental, military and fishery concerns in his executive order to pause or cancel offshore wind projects like Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project near Virginia Beach.

BOEM started gauging interest in seabed mining after a company requested to mine the area last November. The lease area is between three and 63.5 miles off Virginia’s Eastern Shore and larger than the state of Delaware. BOEM says the request for comments and feedback should not be interpreted as an indication that seabed mining will be allowed or that the whole lease area will be mined.

I took a brief look at the Federal Register for this request. The area being looked at is surprisingly shallow, 30-410 ft, on the continental shelf. I, a Ph.D. oceanographer was unaware that there were areas with manganese nodules so shallow. I thought they mostly occurred in the abyssal basins, with very low sedimentation rates to interfere with their extremely slow growth rates. At this depth, it should be comparable in terms of environmental impact to oyster dredging or even shell harvesting for oyster aquaculture, and if areas are growing nodules, they probably have relatively little fauna anyway. We need the metals, especially to become independent from the Chinese. I say give it a try, and at least see if it's feasible. I fully expect a Chinese funded environmental campaign against it.

Beach Report 7/15/26

A brutally hot day, with temperatures in the 90s and all but windless. It showed 92 at Cove Point, but I suspect the beach was warmer with a SW flow. At home it hit 96 F, with a "feels like" of 111 and heat index of 119.  The Sea Nettles were thick.

Georgia and Gabby wisely went to the pool while I walked on the beach, with the help of a once frozen bottle of water.

It was not a terrible day for fossils. 17 sharks teeth, a ray chevron and a drum tooth. This one inch Snaggletooth lower was my best, but I met a man on Matoaka who had a small, maybe 1.5 inch Meg

Frankenfish Invade Pennsylvania (Again)

 YaHoo!  Pennsylvania anglers warned to kill 'Frankenfish' on sight after creek catch

A single fish pulled from a Pennsylvania creek has prompted an unusually strong warning for anglers. As The Trentonian reported, locals are being advised that if they catch this predator again, do not throw it back.

According to The Trentonian, anglers in the Bensalem area are being warned once again a year after a northern snakehead was caught there.

Officials in Bucks County are urging people to kill northern snakeheads, often referred to as "Frankenfish," that they say are still lurking throughout the area, the paper said.

Snakeheads are native to Asia and have gained a troubling reputation in the United States because they are highly adaptable predators, as Pennsylvania's Fish and Boat Commission described.

The Trentonian noted they can breathe air for short periods, survive out of water longer than many fish, and feed on a wide range of prey, including smaller fish, frogs, and crustaceans.

Officials are therefore urging anglers not to return these fish to the water alive, since even one catch can suggest an invasive species is moving into a creek, pond, or river system where it does not belong, the paper said.

Bensalem is up in the Delaware River drainage. Honestly, I don't see how they expect to keep the Snakehead out of that system. Snakeheads are now endemic in the freshwaters of Maryland's Eastern Shore. At the head of those waters, it's just a hop, skip, and a determined wriggle across to streams of the Delaware system.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Monday: Redhead in Denim up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Back From Fishin'

Another walk on trip, another early morning, another sunrise picture from the bay. 

This was "Location X." There were no fish in evidence here

There is new construction going on a James Island, where the Army Corps of Engineers is restoring the island as a dredge disposal area to place sediment from Baltimore Harbor. You can see a huge mound of sand that's new there, and a tug pushing a barge loaded with rocks and a loader.

Pete found us fish here, on some submerged old islands with drowned logs. The four of us managed to catch our limit stripers, one each plus "one for the captain," there, and left to try elsewhere. At one spot, one of the other fishermen caught a single Speckled Trout. They seem to be relatively rare this year thanks to a winter kill this winter.

We went as far south as the southern tip of Hoopers Island, and caught a few more fish at most of the places we tried, but it was not an easy day.

The Wednesday Wetness

The Baynet, Potomac River Reaches 94 Degrees As Fish Kill Reported In Maryland

Record-breaking water temperatures likely contributed to a fish kill in the Potomac River near Seneca, where Maryland environmental officials recorded an extraordinary 94-degree water temperature following days of extreme heat across the region.

The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) confirmed the fish kill in a social media post, saying, “We’re aware of reports of a fish kill in the Potomac River near Seneca. Our biologist recorded water temperatures at a record 94°F. This can trigger a summer turnover event, when layered warm and cold water suddenly mix and oxygen-poor water rises to the surface, stressing fish.”

Although the fish kill occurred in Montgomery County, the Potomac River flows south along the borders of Charles and St. Mary’s counties before emptying into the Chesapeake Bay, making the conditions noteworthy for residents, anglers and boaters throughout Southern Maryland.

The fish kill follows several days of dangerous heat across Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic. Air temperatures climbed into the upper 90s and low 100s across much of the state, with parts of Montgomery County reaching about 100 degrees and nearby Washington, D.C., reaching 102 degrees during the recent heat wave.
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State officials have not announced how many fish were affected or identified the species involved.

If I'm reading the map right, this fish kill occurred up in the riverine Potomac, above Great Falls. I'm not sure I understand their argument about the summer turnover event. However, it was really hot for a few days there.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Melon Season up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Beach Report 7/3/26

A brutally hot summer day, without even a decent breeze to help. Temps at home were around 97 this afternoon. When I left for the beach, Cove Point was showing about 88 over the water, later climbing to 92. 

I managed the full walk up the beach past Matoaka and back with the help of one bottle of water. You can't see in these pictures, but there are a few places along Matoaka where the cliffs provide some welcome shade.

I found 14 shark's teeth of which this was the best. It's a Snaggletooth, of course, but there appears to be  some debate over position. I think it's an upper tooth close to the center, maybe next to the parasymphyseal because of the heavy serrations, others think it's a lower. Paul Murdoch was out walking a group, and I asked him, and he waffled.

The Sea Nettles are definitely here. 

There was a fly-over from a B2 bomber flanked by 2 B1 bombers. I assume they were on their way to a fly-over of the National Mall. This is the first time I've ever seen either of those planes in real life. Too bad I couldn't get my phone ready for a picture in time.