{"id":48321,"date":"2026-09-08T10:00:55","date_gmt":"2026-09-08T14:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/?p=48321"},"modified":"2026-09-09T16:16:29","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T20:16:29","slug":"marylands-chesapeake-bay-underwater-grasses-expanded-nearly-13-in-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dnr\/2026\/09\/08\/marylands-chesapeake-bay-underwater-grasses-expanded-nearly-13-in-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Maryland\u2019s Chesapeake Bay Underwater Grasses Expanded Nearly 13% in 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gains add more than 4,600 acres of critical Chesapeake Bay habitat<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\"Underwater

Photo by Brooke Landry, Maryland Department of Natural Resources<\/p><\/div>\n

Underwater grass abundance increased in the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries last year. In Maryland\u2019s portion of the Bay, underwater grass coverage expanded from 36,799 acres in 2024 to 41,419 acres in 2025, an increase of nearly 13% in a single year. Bay-wide, <\/a><\/span>SAV acreage reached an estimated 89,385 acres<\/span> – up 7% from 83,252 acres in 2024.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The 2025 acreage represents about 36% of Maryland\u2019s 114,065-acre restoration target, demonstrating meaningful progress while underscoring the opportunity for continued recovery.<\/span><\/p>\n

The annual underwater grass survey is conducted by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), which maps submerged aquatic vegetation, or SAV, throughout the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries annually. VIMS also produces a <\/span>report for Virginia\u2019s portion of the Bay<\/a><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMore underwater grass means more habitat for blue crabs and fish, cleaner water, and a more resilient Chesapeake Bay,\u201d said Maryland Department of Natural Resources Secretary Josh Kurtz. \u201cThis year\u2019s increase is welcome progress, but it also reinforces the work ahead. We need to keep reducing pollution, protecting existing underwater grass beds, and restoring the shallow-water habitats that allow these plants and the Bay life that depends on them to thrive.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Submerged aquatic vegetation beds are among the Chesapeake Bay\u2019s <\/span>most valuable shallow-water habitats<\/span><\/a>, providing food, shelter, and nursery grounds for fish, blue crabs, waterfowl, and other wildlife. They improve water quality by absorbing nutrients and trapping suspended sediment, add oxygen to the water through photosynthesis, help stabilize bottom sediments, and reduce shoreline erosion.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The underwater grass beds also store carbon and can help buffer the effects of coastal acidification, an important benefit to Maryland\u2019s shellfish industry. Because these underwater grasses require clear water to survive, their abundance and distribution are closely tied to water quality. Their ability to respond relatively quickly to both improving and deteriorating conditions makes SAV one of the Bay\u2019s most important indicators of ecosystem health.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is especially encouraging about 2025 is that the gains were not confined to one place,\u201d said Brooke Landry, SAV program chief for Maryland DNR and chair of the Chesapeake Bay Program SAV Workgroup. \u201cWe saw expansion in both freshwater and moderately salty parts of Maryland\u2019s Bay waters.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Tidal Fresh and Oligohaline: Freshwater grasses continue recovery<\/b><\/p>\n

Maryland\u2019s tidal fresh and low-salinity waters gained a combined 1,059 acres of SAV in 2025.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Seven Maryland river or Bay segments met or exceeded their SAV restoration goals last year. These included:<\/span><\/p>\n