Chesapeake Wildlife

Why Is the Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab Population Crashing?

May 28, 2025

Blue crab numbers have reached the second-lowest level in 35 years. Here’s what we know, and what we don’t.

Baltimore Harbor Oyster Sanctuary Now Accepting New Tenants

May 16, 2025

Throughout the decade, students from the Baltimore Lab School have grown approximately 70,295 oysters in the Baltimore Harbor. That number includes over 11,500 oysters the kids planted one day in May.

Upcoming Menhaden Management Meeting

May 1, 2025

A special Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) workgroup has completed a special report on the connection between osprey nest failures and falling menhaden harvests. What action will the Commission decide to take at its upcoming meeting?

Menhaden Study Delay Leaves Important Questions Unanswered

April 23, 2025

We need more science to get to the heart of the connection between menhaden and catastrophic failure for nesting osprey. But for the second consecutive year, the Virginia legislature failed to fund the critically needed menhaden study.

Harnessing the "Little Bivalve" to Produce Big Results for the Bay

April 11, 2025

Federal investment in large-scale oyster restoration in the Bay's rivers provides support for community efforts and is reaping benefits downstream.

Virginia Leaves Critically Needed Menhaden Study Plan Unfunded

March 20, 2025

For the second year in a row, after pressure from Omega Protein lobbyists, Virginia refuses to fund a critical study about menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay. Why?

Endangered Species Listing for Hellbender Is Long Overdue

January 28, 2025

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has proposed listing the Eastern hellbender as an Endangered species. A group of determined young people in Pennsylvania, the original “Hellbender Defenders,” say the recognition is long overdue.

Megalodon Teeth and the Ancient Chesapeake Bay: An Interview with Dr. Stephen Godfrey

November 15, 2024

The Curator of Paleontology at the Calvert Marine Museum in Solomons, Maryland talks with us about the marvelous stories fossils tell, what the Chesapeake region’s ancient past can teach us about its future, and the secrets yet to be discovered at Calvert Cliffs.

What Comes Next for Striped Bass?

November 5, 2024

As migrating striped bass prepare for their annual journey south from New England to their overwintering waters off the Mid-Atlantic, fishery managers are also considering big moves. In October, two major barometers of the population’s health were released. Neither painted a rosy picture.

A Blue Crab Mystery

October 17, 2024

The population isn’t crashing, but it isn’t exactly thriving either. What’s going on?

Everybody’s Fish: Striped Bass on the Move

July 5, 2024

Their impressive annual migrations from estuarine nurseries to summer ocean feeding grounds make striped bass a cultural icon along the Atlantic Coast. But with populations struggling, the fish need many helping hands along the way.

The Osprey Garden: A Chesapeake Eden at Risk

June 25, 2024

In the 1960s and ’70s, osprey almost entirely disappeared from the Bay region. The reason? The harmful insecticide DDT. After the chemical was banned, the Bay's osprey population rebounded. But today, in one portion of the Bay, osprey have plummeted to even lower levels.

Blue Catfish Conundrum

June 21, 2024

While invasive blue catfish continue to eat the Chesapeake Bay alive, the voracious predators are being released and welcomed into parts of Pennsylvania, where they are native.

To Thrive in the Chesapeake Bay, Striped Bass Need a Summer Vacation

June 20, 2024

The hot days of summer are when striped bass are most vulnerable. With the right steps now, we can rebuild a healthy striped bass fishery for the future. Anglers, find out what you can do this summer to give striped bass a boost.

Bonjour Blue Crabs: Low in Chesapeake, On the Rise Elsewhere

June 14, 2024

While the recent blue crab survey showed numbers remain low for blue crabs in the Chesapeake, this iconic Bay species is showing up in wildly unexpected places across the globe, including France, Croatia, and Maine.

An Uncertain Nursery

May 13, 2024

The Chesapeake Bay is a famed spawning ground for Atlantic striped bass. But changeable—and changing—conditions are likely contributing to the species’ troubles.

Shaped by a Salamander

April 23, 2024

Five years after their triumphant campaign to crown the Eastern hellbender as Pennsylvania’s state amphibian, former CBF student leaders are taking on the world of conservation, education, and law.

Back from the Edge

November 2, 2023

For 50 years, the Endangered Species Act has had remarkable success, saving 99 percent of the species on its list. While some species have tragically been lost forever, these three Chesapeake comeback stories give us hope.

Quest to Save the Bog Turtle

August 10, 2023

Much like brook trout and the Eastern hellbender, bog turtles are an indicator species of water quality. Follow some official surveyors on their quest to research this tiny reptile.

Save the Bay News: Restoration, Wetlands, and Saving Striped Bass

June 29, 2023

Progress toward clean water includes the need for a greater focus on the Bay's 'living resources,' such as blue crabs and striped bass, as well as placing more emphasis on the places and pollution that most affect the Bay's human communities.

Many Questions Remain for Blue Crab Outlook

March 22, 2023

The season for catching Chesapeake Bay blue crabs is already underway in Virginia, and recreational crabbing will officially kick off in Maryland on April 1. Several boats have been plying the waters the past several months, however, to pursue the crustaceans not for steaming but for science.

A Trout’s Journey: Behind the Scenes of Pennsylvania’s Fish Hatcheries

March 16, 2023

Getting 3.2 million hatchery-raised trout into waterways, as well as sustaining wild trout populations, is a critical part of the worldclass fishing for which Pennsylvania’s mountain streams are renowned. Both require good water, and lots of it.

Fisheries Win in Virginia’s Legislative Session

March 9, 2023

Last month, Virginia wrapped up its legislative session and with it came big wins for the Chesapeake Bay’s fisheries. Read more about the strides made to control blue catfish and protect oysters, blue crabs, and menhaden.

Clean Water Advocacy: December 2022 Update

December 29, 2022

Though a slower season for advocacy, the past three months saw some important developments on clean water issues across the watershed.

Fall Birding on Island Time

September 13, 2022

CBF Educator Shayla Keller shares her love of birding on the Chesapeake and tips to enjoy the fall migratory season.

A Symbol for Pennsylvania

May 16, 2022

The largest salamanders in North America were plentiful in the Bay watershed decades ago. Today, with their populations teetering and habitat facing multiple threats, the Eastern hellbender is still as charismatic and ugly a critter as ever.

Five Facts You Didn’t Know About Beavers

April 7, 2022

These toothy, big-tailed creatures are some of the Chesapeake’s best Bay savers.

Forest Fish

March 9, 2022

CBF's Brian Gish has a plan to restore habitat for brook trout in Pennsylvania.

Saving the Striper

March 4, 2022

Conservation brought striped bass back from the brink. Now, these big, beloved fish are vulnerable once again.

Resilient Return

March 2, 2022

Resurgence of Atlantic sturgeon in the Chesapeake Bay is reason to continue pollution-reduction efforts.

Charismatic Creatures

January 26, 2022

A Pennsylvania farm owner steps up to protect bog turtles on his land.

Miniature Marvels

January 12, 2022

Lined seahorses rely on the Bay's underwater grass beds for food, shelter, and a place to breed.

Winter Leviathan

January 6, 2022

Known for their acrobatics, humpback whales sometimes venture into the Chesapeake to feed.

Unexpected Visitor Spotted in C&O Canal in Montgomery County

September 22, 2021

The tropical Wood Stork is rarely seen in Maryland, but could have been blown north by Hurricane Ida.

Five Facts You Otter Know

September 20, 2021

While we love to see them, otter sightings can be rare depending on your location in the watershed. But when you do see them, here are five interesting facts you should know about the North American river otter.

Four Surprising Facts About Chesapeake Jellyfish

August 17, 2021

Admit it—it wouldn’t be a Chesapeake summer without sea nettles. From where to watch for nettles to treating their irritating stings, here are four things to know about jellyfish.

Freshwater Mussels: Wild, Wonderful, and Waning

August 16, 2021

Carolina Slabshells, Tidewater Muckets, Green Floaters—an amazing diversity of freshwater mussels call the rivers and streams of the Bay watershed home. But we’re losing species faster than we can understand them.

Sharks: From Miocene to Modern Day

July 14, 2021

We’ve all heard about sharks in the Bay, but did you know that these apex predators have actually been living here long before us humans ever showed up?