CHESAPEAKE BAY WATERSHED

The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the Unites States. The bay and its watershed contain several different types of habitats, including rivers, wetlands, forests, and urban areas. The Chesapeake Bay’s watershed spans 64,000 square miles covering several states including New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia. The life in the bay’s watershed includes over 3,600 species of plants and animals.

The Susquehanna River composes about 60 percent of the watershed that feeds the Chesapeake Bay. How do AIS end up in the Susquehanna River? Many are hitchhikers that are carried along with the cargo or in the ballast tanks in the hulls of ships that travel from many ports. Downstream from the Susquehanna, the Port of Baltimore services ships that provide many opportunities for seeds, eggs, and creatures from other watersheds to hitch a ride. Once established in the Chesapeake, some of the aquatic hitch hikers can then travel upstream in the watershed to reach Pennsylvania.

AIS can also flow downstream. Pennsylvania Sea Grant is very concerned that zebra mussels now found in New York may flow downstream into the Susquahanna watershed in Pennsylvania. Fishing and boating activities are also common ways that AIS spread from other watersheds in North America. As with ships, AIS can stick to equipment and the hulls of boats without being noticed.

For more information about the bay and its AIS visit the Chesapeake Bay Program.

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