NOAA’s Chesapeake Bay Office supports fisheries research and monitoring. The office works closely with other federal, state, and local partners to enhance management efforts of Chesapeake Bay fisheries. Fish, crabs, and other species are key members of the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. Their interactions with each other and with other parts of the ecosystem-including predators, pollution, water quality, and other stresses associated with increased population growth in the Chesapeake Bay watershed—determine their future. Oysters, blue crabs, and finfish are important to the health of the Chesapeake and also commercially important to the regional seafood industry. Whether a commercial waterman, recreational fishing enthusiast, or consumer, most of us enjoy Chesapeake Bay seafood.

NCBO coordinates the Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee (CBSAC) to provide timely information and analyses to fishery managers. CBSAC released its 2007 Blue Crab Advisory Report In the report, the Committee analyzed data collected from 2006 through early 2007 to determine the status of blue crabs in the Bay. The blue crab population in the Chesapeake Bay remained low again, and the data indicate that the abundance of crabs over 5 inches remained low; the number of juvenile crabs entering the population was low; and the abundance of mature females (spawning potential) was also below average. For more information, please see our 2007 Blue Crab Advisory Press Release .

NCBO to Host Menhaden Research Webinars NCBO will host four WebEx calls in spring 2008 to enable research collaborators to present results of their menhaden research to the larger community. NCBO Studies Derelict Fishing Gear in Bay NCBO presented an update on its Derelict Fishing Gear Program in a public information meeting at the Maryland Department of Natural Resources in early 2008. NCBO scientists desribed how the study is structured and some of its findings. 2007 Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab Advisory Report Released The Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee reported in its 2007 Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab Advisory Report that the blue crab population in the Bay remained below the long-term average. The full report and supporting figures are available.