Brendan Wilbur

Annotated Bibliography

(2017). About the Issues. Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Retrieved from

http://www.cbf.org/about-the-bay/issues/fisheries

The following article is from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation about several issues with
the Chesapeake Bay. Since the 1980's the Chesapeake Bay has suffered the cost of over
fishing. Not only are certain fish populations down, but many other specials such as
oysters and blue crabs are suffering. Surprisingly, over fishing is not the only thing to
blame, as populations are suffering due to habitat issues such as a lack of marsh grasses
that can sustain juvenile species. This will be useful in the "issues" section of my paper.

(2017). Atlantic Striped Bass. Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. Retrieved from

http://www.asmfc.org/species/atlantic-striped-bass

Striped bass is one of the major species the Chesapeake Bay is known for. Striped bass
are a game fish that are also targeted for their fillets. Although their range is from Maine
to Florida, the majority of the time, the adult fish spend their time in "coastal estuaries"
and the ocean from New England down to the Carolina's. In the 1980's the fish were over
harvested which caused a drastic reduction in their numbers. Although stocks have
improved since then, there has been a recent decline since 2006. Out of all the 3.02
million striped bass allowed to be caught each year, very few are landed in the
Chesapeake Bay. This is concerning considering that the bay is arguably their largest
spawning point. This article will be useful in my "issues" section of my paper assessing
how bad things are.

(2008). Bad Water and the Decline of Blue Crabs in the Chesapeake Bay. Chesapeake Bay

Foundation. Retrieved from cbf.org/badwaters

Blue crabs are a symbol of the Chesapeake Bay, as well as the most economically
important fishery. According to the CBF, over fishing technically defined does not
Brendan Wilbur

include the illegal catching of crabs, but the rate of harvest that accedes the accepted
scientific limit of 46% of the population annually. Since the 1990's their harvest has
plummeted by almost two thirds. This is due to two factors: over fishing, and reduced
habitats. Recently, fisherman have been catching over 62% of the bays population of
crabs annually. Along with over fishing, a buildup of nitrogen and phosphorus has
caused surface algae that completely blocks oxygen from reaching the floor of the estuary
killing eel grasses and other vegetation. These grasses are essential to a healthy habit for
juvenile species and crabs. This article is useful for the issues section of my paper, as
well as providing several solutions.

(2015). 'Catch Shares' Aim for Sustainable Fishing. Voice of America. Retrieved from

http://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/catch-shares-aim-for-sustainable-

fishing/2927297.html

In traditional methods of fishing in the Chesapeake Bay, a limit as to the total amount of
striped bass able to be caught was set. This allowed fisherman to irresponsibly work to
get as large of a portion of the limit as possible as NOAA claimed it lead to destructive
and irresponsible fishing practices. In a catch share system, individual fisherman are
given a section of this quota that only they get to pursue. While this leads to responsible
fishing, a major drawback stems from complaints that it doesnt give fisherman a good
enough livelihood. This piece will be useful for the solutions section of my paper.

(2017). Chesapeake Bay TMDL Fact Sheet. United States Environmental Protection

Agency. Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/chesapeake-bay-tmdl/chesapeake-bay-tmdl-

fact-sheet

On December 29, 2010, the EPA Established a Total Maximum Daily Load (TDML) for
the Chesapeake bay as a comprehensive pollution diet. The TDML was required under
the federal Clean Water Act, and was the largest ever created by the EPA encompassing
64,000 square miles of watershed. The jurisdictions for this TDML section range
from Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and DC.
According to the EPA, the TDML created limits of "185.9 million pounds of nitrogen,
12.5 million pounds of phosphorus and 6.45 billion pounds of sediment per year." These
Brendan Wilbur

restrictions should equate a "25 percent reduction in nitrogen, 24 percent reduction in

phosphorus and 20 percent reduction in sediment. As these pollutants come from farms,
urban and suburban runoff, wastewater, as well as airborne contaminates, it is important
that restrictions are placed. The buildup of nitrogen, phosphorus, as other pollutants in
the bay are already reducing habitats and killing wildlife. By 2025 all the
necessary restrictions should be put in place. This is useful for my solutions section of
the paper.

Lipcius, R. N., Stockhausen, W. T. (2002). Concurrent decline of the spawning stock,

recruitment, larval abundance, and size of the blue crab Callinectes sapidus

in Chesapeake Bay. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 55, 45-61

The following Article was one published in Marine Ecology Progress Series. It is a
collection of scientific articles, and this one in particular was republished by William and
Mary. According to the article, there has been a "concurrent, persistent and substantial
reduction" in the the number of blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay. Unfortunately, this
decline is due to the exploitation of their habitat which typically consists of marsh grasses
which protect larvae. This will be useful in the problems/issues section of my paper.
Although their population is starting to improve, both Lipcius and Stockhausen suggest
that the best way to improve stock sizes is to increase the amount of sanctuaries and
protected areas which will conserve the species.

(2017). Menhaden Abundance. Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Retrieved from.

http://www.cbf.org/about-the-bay/chesapeake-bay/creatures-of-the-

chesapeake/menhaden/facts
Brendan Wilbur

Once species that has definitely taken a hit is Atlantic Menhaden. Stocks in menhaden
are down almost 86% since 1985. This is due mainly to over-fishing as menhaden are
ground into oils for supplements as well as ingredients in food. It is critical for their
population to come back up because they are a major baitfish for several predator species.
For example, menhaden consists of mainly 70% of a striper's diet. This diagram will be
useful for the issues section of my paper.

(2015). Menhaden. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved from

https://chesapeakebay.noaa.gov/fish-facts/menhaden

Menhaden form a "critical link" between the levels of the Chesapeake Bay food web.
They are the main source of food for striped bass, weakfish, bluefish, and filter feeders.
Although they are considered unfit for human consumption, they constitute the largest
"landings by volume, along the Atlantic coast." They are caught mainly or animal food,
but also ground down for omega 3 acids. Although their populations dwindled since the
early 2000's, fortunately the 2015 bench stock assessment reported them as no longer
being a product of over fishing. This is most likely due to the Atlantic Menhaden
management board which regulates harvest under amendment 2 of the "Interstate Fishery
Management Plan." This amendment allowed the max allowable catch to be no more
than 187,880 metric tons for the 2015 and 2016 year. While stocks are not as great as
they were previously to 1985, it is reassuring they have just been evaluated as no longer
over fished. This will be useful in my section on "how bad" the issues are.

Motley, S. A. (1988). Chesapeake Bay Cleanup. Technology Review, 91(2), 14 retrieved from

http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?

tabID=T003&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchResultsType=SingleTab&searchTy

pe=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition=4&docId=GALE

%7CA6413621&docType=Article&sort=Relevance&contentSegment=&prodId=GPS&c

ontentSet=GALE%7CA6413621&searchId=R3&userGroupName=henrico&inPS=true
Brendan Wilbur

Estuaries are fragile systems in need of protection. When one gets clouded with
nutrients, the water clouds, fish die, and plant species disappear. In the 1970's
Scientist began to be alarmed as the Chesapeake showed signs of illness as "submerged
aquatic vegetation was disappearing. Things got so bad that layers of surface algae
stemmed from excess phosphorous and nitrogen buildup was strong enough to block light
from the sun killing aquatic vegetation below. In order to combat this issue, Virginia,
Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Washington DC implemented a Best Management Practice
(BMPS) system. In Virginia alone, 1,144 farmers implemented the system that would
prevent 333,930 tons of runoff entering the bay. This will be useful for my issues section
as well as solutions section.

Moore, K. (2015). Mid-Atlantic fishermen given stiff jail sentences: violations bring federal

convictions. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?

tabID=T003&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchResultsType=SingleTab&searchTy

pe=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition=2&docId=GALE

%7CA410387507&docType=Brief+article&sort=DA-

SORT&contentSegment=&prodId=GPS&contentSet=GALE

%7CA410387507&searchId=R1&userGroupName=henrico&inPS=true

In efforts to counteract and over harvests of striped bass, the U.S Department of Justice
have been cracking down on illegal poaching. Under the Lacey Act, the U.S department
of justice pushes to prosecute more fishing offenses as environmental crimes. One
recent and extreme example was the prosecution of Michael D. Hayden of Tilghman
Island, Md. He was part of a four person striped bass poaching scheme that illegally
harvested over 185,925 pounds of striped bass between 2007 and 2011. Hayden must pay
a $40,000 fine to the state of Maryland as well as a $498,000 fee for restitution to the
federal govt. On top of this, he must serve an 18 year sentence in prison. Although his
punishment was severe, actions such as this are essential in order to crack down on
poaching. Typically, poachers ignore local and federal laws, as well as conservation
efforts in order to quickly generate a profit. This article is a good option for my possible
solutions section of my paper.
Brendan Wilbur