Publications

At its 2022 annual meeting, the Chesapeake Executive Council tasked the Principals' Staff Committee with assessing progress on the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement and outlining next steps for the Chesapeake Bay Program beyond 2025. A Steering Committee, comprised of representatives from various stakeholders, began to convene monthly in June 2023 to develop recommendations. These recommendations emphasize collaboration and aim to enhance efforts in science, conservation and partnership to ensure a healthy and sustainable Chesapeake Bay.

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The Beyond 2025 Draft Report was published on July 1, 2024 by the Chesapeake Bay Program's Beyond 2025 Steering Committee. Following a public comment period, the draft report had been updated. Edits to the report can be seen in this redlined version.

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The 2023 Bay Barometer report provides an update on 18 outcomes of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, including those related to blue crabs, oysters, forest buffers and protected lands.

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Published by the Forage Action Team in November 2023, this report summarizes the status of different forage species found within the Chesapeake Bay. It is a culmination of research conducted from 2014 to 2023, and can be used to assess whether key predator populations have enough food. It also identifies remaining knowledge gaps and a path forward for the development of forage indicators.

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The "Cultivating and Strengthening Partnerships with Underrepresented Stakeholders" project was funded by the Chesapeake Bay Trust (CBT) Goal Implementation Team (GIT) Funding Program. The project, proposed by the Chesapeake Bay Program Stewardship Goal Implementation Team (GIT 5) and their Diversity Workgroup, aimed to understand the needs, barriers, and priorities of organizations serving historically underrepresented and underserved communities. Chesapeake Conservancy was contracted to complete the project, which began in spring 2021 and ended in summer 2022. The project involved conversations with community leaders and Chesapeake Bay Program staff to identify barriers and opportunities for engagement. A Leadership Workshop was conducted to define meaningful community engagement, and a Community Forum in July 2022 brought together community members and Bay Program leadership to build trust and develop engagement strategies. Recommendations for next steps were compiled based on input from participants, and a community engagement guide was developed. The project's outcomes will help the Chesapeake Bay Program develop long-term and mutually beneficial relationships with organizations serving communities of color and other underrepresented communities.

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In October 2022, the Chesapeake Executive Council charged the Principals’ Staff Committee with recommending a critical path forward that prioritizes and outlines the next steps for meeting the goals and outcomes of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement leading up to and beyond 2025. The Executive Council Charge to the Principals’ Staff Committee: Charting a Course to 2025 and Beyond asked the Principals' Staff Committee to report back to the Executive Council at their 2023 annual meeting with recommendations on how to best address and integrate new science and restoration strategies leading up to 2025.

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Annual report published by the Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee that summarizes the results of the Winter Dredge Survey and harvest information, and provides management advice for the jurisdictions based on stock status.

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This document includes details on large-scale oyster restoration, including acres of reef constructed and number of spat-on-shell planted, in Maryland and Virginia tributaries for calendar year 2022.

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This report summarizes discussions held at the Blue Crab Science Workshop in September 2022. Workshop discussions were focused on blue crab population drivers and stock assessment modeling to better understand the recent population declines and to prepare for the upcoming benchmark stock assessment.

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