January 5, 2021 — Despite progress on pollution and habitats, the Chesapeake Bay has received another low health grade from the nonprofit Chesapeake Bay Foundation, this time due to issues with fisheries.
Results of the bi-annual State of the Bay report released Tuesday say the bay’s health scored a D+ in 2020.
Though most water quality measurements are showing improvement, the bay’s overall score was sunk by abysmal ratings on critical fisheries, including rockfish, oysters and shad.
Rockfish scored a 49 out of 100 on CBF’s scale, which on its own qualifies as a C+ grade. But that score represents a decrease of 17 points since 2018, the largest decline in any single indicator CBF has recorded in over a decade, said Chris Moore, senior regional ecosystem scientist with CBF.