Relationships among Environmental Stressors and Fish Community Composition and Health: Case Study of Chesapeake Bay

Located within the states of Maryland and Virginia, the Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the U.S. Biologically, it is one of the most productive systems in the world. The primary production exceeds 400 g/Cm^-2/year (Sellner, 1987). Stretching from the mouth of the Susquehanna River at Havre de Grace in Maryland seaward to Cape Charles and Cape Henry, it is about 322 km long and varies in width from 5 to 48 km. The bay’s drainage basin is 166,000 km² in extent, and it includes more than 150 rivers, creeks, and branches. About 94% of Maryland’s land area drains into the Chesapeake Bay. The Susquehanna, Potomac, and James Rivers are the largest rivers in terms of drainage areas and freshwater input to the bay system.