Afternoon Reads
I’m reading a variety of Bay/ environmental news this afternoon:
Virginia Runoff Bill (Bay Daily)
Proposed Natural Gas Line Threatens MD Stream (Bay Journal)
Update on VA Animal Feeding Operation Permits (Bay Journal)
Industry Awakens to Threat of Climate Change (New York Times)
Checking on Earth’s Chimney (B’More Green)
Planting Grasses
This past weekend I attended the Grasses for the Masses workshop hosted by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. I received celery seeds and a kit to plant these seeds in my home. I spent the afternoon setting up:
First I found an area in my basement for the project. The kit includes a large black tub, three smaller trays where the seeds will be planted, a water heater, filter and thermometer. I placed the lamps on the sides to provide light for the seeds.
The next step will be to fill the black tub up with water, set up the pump and filter. The water needs to heat up and bubble for 24 hours before the seeds can go in. I’ll use the thermometer to make sure the water reaches 78 degrees F, then I’ll plant the grass seeds in the trays.
The celery seeds came in a plastic bag, with a little bit of water, and have been sitting in my fridge since the weekend (pictured below). When the water in the tub is ready, I’ll spread sand and the seeds down in the three smaller trays. Aired water and a sand-soil mixture will go over top.
Over the next 2.5-3 months I’ll be monitoring seed growth and water temperature, cleaning out the filter and filling the tub with water. By the end of 10 or 12 weeks I should have grasses ready for planting. I’ll be posting updates as the weeks go by.
The Chesapeake Ray
I heard a piece this morning on NPR on a recent IUCN – the International Union for Conservation of Nature- report on sharks and rays. (NPR). According to the piece, 25% of the world’s sharks and rays are threatened by extinction. This got me thinking about the Chesapeake Bay. I know we have had sharks and rays in the Bay, but I wasn’t sure about their status. What I found was pretty interesting, and fitting, given my piece yesterday on oyster farming:
In the Bay we have the the cownose ray (species name Rhinoptera bonasus). The ray lives in Chesapeake waters from May to October, feeding on molluscs, like oysters and clams.
A 2011 report in the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Save the Bay magazine comments on the negative impact rays have on the oyster and seagrass populations in the Bay, (p. 15). Seagrasses and the oyster industry have seen a bit of a comeback after decades of trouble. To protect this growing industry, many in aquaculture called for the ray to be fished or killed off in large numbers.
The 2011 report, “Misunderstood: The Cownose Ray” hazards against overfishing the ray. The species is native to the Chesapeake, and plays an important role in the natural ecosystem. Sometimes the role of a species is not completely understood until it is no longer there to perform it. The article mentions an approach on the West Coast where the aquaculture industry targeted rays to protect their farms. The rays were in fact eating other oyster predators, and when the ray numbers went down, so too did the oyster population.
Scientists argued for more natural solutions to the problem in the Chesapeake region. They called for better management of ray predators (native sharks), the use of oyster cages and other forms of repellent to prevent ray feeding. By touring my neighbors oyster farm, I’ve seen that oysters are grown in cages, perhaps in part because of the ray issue. But I’m curious to find out more- on the ray population today and the species current interaction with aquaculture and underwater grasses. Has anything changed, improved? I’ll be looking for more information in the next few days and sharing what I find.
Oyster Farming on Antipoison Creek
Last spring I worked on a report on the impacts of oyster acidification on the Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea virginica) population in the Chesapeake Bay. To get some background information on the oyster growing process, I visited with a neighbor who harvests oysters for consumption on Antipoison Creek. I wanted to share some pictures and my understanding of the oyster farming process from that project.
Farmer Mike grows over 40,000 oysters, off of his shore and dock, and further out, in the creek and Chesapeake Bay. Mike buys oyster larvae from a nursery outside Mathews, Virginia. The nursery produces Dermo-disease resistant triploid oysters. (A good story on the creation of triploids, and their differences from diploid oysters is here: Chesapeake Quarterly).
The larvae are raised in tanks, like the empty one above. When larvae attach themselves to a hard surface, which they must do to grow, they are called spat. Many farmers use a spat-on-shell approach; spat grow on oyster shells until they form their own shell, and are large enough to be moved. (Spat are less than 0.98 inches long; it can take up to a year for oysters to reach this size).
The oysters are then moved to a net or strainer, shown above. Mike keeps the strainers in floats, suspended in the creek and attached to his dock.
As the oysters grow, they are moved to larger cages, placed on the bed of the creek, and further out in the Bay. Separating oysters into cages at this stage reduces overcrowding and competition for food. It generally takes 2.5 – 5 years for an oyster to grow to market size ( 3 inches or longer). At this time, the oysters are collected, transported, and sold to local restaurants and markets.
Other interesting facts about the oyster farming process:
- Spawning occurs from May to September- water temperature must be between 64-68 degrees F.
- Oysters become dormant in colder water temperatures; they can survive freezing temperatures, if left submerged in water
- Oyster growth is dependent on salinity, water quality, water depth, temperature, and the presence or absence of disease, predators, sedimentation, food source
- Farmers, like Mike, must frequently test water quality, including dissolved oxygen levels, and concentrations of chlorophyll, which provides nutrients for oysters
- The oyster can grow up to 8 inches long, but is usually sold for consumption at 3 inches
Further reading on the Eastern oyster: NOAA.
Raising oysters requires a great deal of care throughout the year. I found a site on cage handling and maintenance that has seasonal instructions for raising oysters, and additional info on the farming process. (Severn River Association).
Appeal for Stronger VA Regulations on Stormwater Runoff
The Potomac Conservancy sent out a letter regarding stormwater runoff regulations for the Potomac River watershed. Stormwater management programs are set to go into effect on July 1, 2014, but legislators in the Virginia General Assembly are being asked to delay implementation. I am urging Virginia readers, along with the Potomac Conservancy, to send a message to your local representatives asking them to not to delay on stormwater management programs. I will post the Potomac Conservancy letter below, which includes a link to contact information for Virginia state legislators.
From the Potomac Conservancy:
|
No More Delays for Clean Water! |
|
That’s all! Thank you for taking action to help keep our nation’s river clean! |
Antipoison Creek: Past and Present
I think history is an important part of studying current environmental issues. The land use practices and consumer choices of past societies and generations shaped the environments we have today; studying historical descriptions of the places we live in can be used to compare past conditions with present.
In research for this SAV (Submerged Aquatic Vegetation) project (planting underwater grasses by the family Bay house), I have been looking at the historical presence of SAVs in the area, and have come across various historical facts on the area, some new, some old.
The house is at the mouth of Antipoison Creek, which opens up to the Chesapeake Bay. The Creek got its name when local Native Americans treated John Smith for a stingray injury. Smith was either treated at Antipoison Creek, or the cure was found at the creek- versions vary.
Agriculture and aquaculture have been prominent in Lancaster County for centuries. It’s hard to imagine the Antipoison Creek of Smith’s time. Today, farmers, watermen, oyster harvesters, vacationers and retirees surround the creek. How land use and the natural environment in the area has evolved and changed throughout the past 400 years is something I’m interested in, and could be important to future restoration/ conservation projects in the area.
View from our dock of a fishing vessel that has a home on Antipoison Creek. To reach its wharf, the ship passes a variety of residential homes, fish houses, and a small oyster farm that are situated on the banks of Antipoison.
Underwater Grasses
The Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) estimates 600,000 acres of underwater grasses were once present in the Chesapeake Bay. As of 2012, the Chesapeake Bay Program estimates a total of 48,191 acres are in the Bay. Since the mid-twentieth century, hundreds of thousands of acres of underwater grasses have been lost. So what does the loss of underwater grasses, or submerged aquatic vegetation (SAVs) mean for the Bay?
SAVs are an important part of the Bay’s ecosystem and provide a number of services. Underwater grasses are a food source for waterfowl; they provide habitat and protection for juvenile blue crabs and several species of fish, such as striped bass and menhaden. Grasses take up nutrients that enter the Bay, improve water clarity and health. The plants provide oxygen to other organisms in the water. They are a buffer against shoreline erosion by reducing the impact of waves and currents on a beachfront.
Strong storms and pollution threaten SAVs. Excess nutrients entering the Bay result(ed) in acres of grasses lost, this century and last. Grasses absorb nutrients, but they can only absorb so much. With large amounts of nitrogen and phosphorous entering the Chesapeake watershed, underwater grasses have been inundated with nutrients, and have dramatically suffered. The decline of aquatic vegetation impacts ecosystem services, local economies and societies. The food industry, and the watermen that rely on the catches of the Bay, have been hit hard in recent years. A decrease in acreage of SAVs contributes to low crab populations, and was cited as a major source of a decline in crab numbers this past year. Fish are at more risk from predation from other species, leaving fewer fish to be harvested by Chesapeake watermen.
Restoration of underwater grasses is one solution to improving water quality and aquaculture, and reducing rates of erosion (or at least is a solution that I can directly play a part in). This weekend I am going to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Grasses for the Masses program, dedicated to planting SAVs in designated areas in the Bay watershed. On Saturday I will attend a workshop where I will receive an aquaculture system with wild celery seeds. After growing the underwater grass in-home for 10-12 weeks, I will plant the wild celery this spring on the Potomac River in Mason Neck State Park, in a second workshop.
While doing this project, I am also looking into the permit process for growing grasses for personal research, off of property in the Northern Neck. I have been looking at VIMS 2012 SAV report and interactive map for more information on the historical presence of grass in this region (VIMS), as well as permit information from the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC). Updates to follow!
Rising U.S. Carbon Emissions, Sea Levels: A Link to Two Studies
U.S. Carbon Emissions Rose Last Year: (The Washington Post)
Study of Tides Measures Global Average Sea Level Rise: (NYT The Flood Next Time) Sea level rise and sinking land affecting East Coast, especially Chesapeake Bay islands
2014-2015 Federal Water Quality Milestones
President Obama signed an executive order for the protection and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay in May 2009. This order brings together groups such as the EPA, USDA, NOAA and other agencies across the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Transportation, Homeland Security, and the Department of Interior. The Committee created by this Order publishes an annual action plan and progress report. The committee has also established goals for water quality to be reached by 2025, with two year milestone reports published in the interim. The 2014 action plan has yet to be released, but the water quality milestones report for 2014-2015 is now available. (Chesapeake Bay Executive Order).
The report is an overview of steps to be made in the next two years broken down by section. The milestone sections include agriculture, atmosphere, stormwater, septic systems, toxins, trading and offsets programs (ie. nitrogen trading), regulatory enforcement, and the EPA’s financial support to the six states and D.C., in the watershed.
I am particularly interested in:
- the 2014 goal to establish State Implementation Plan revisions to reduce NOx emissions (atmosphere)
- the development of stormwater BMPs (stormwater)
- USDA studies on agricultural BMPs and estimates of nutrient/sediment reductions from conservation practices (agriculture)
Friday’s Reads
Judge Rejects Suit Challenging Legality of Nutrient Trading Programs: (Bay Journal)
West Virginia Chemical Spill: (New York Times)
Not technically in the watershed, but an interesting read
Success of Plastic Bag Tax in DC: (The Washington Post)
DC Looking to Ban Styrofoam Containers to Reduce Pollution in Anacostia River: (WAMU)
I live along the Potomac River so I found the following two sources interesting. The Potomac Conservancy releases a report each year looking at habitat, species, pollution, etc. in the Potomac River and gives the watershed a grade. The 2013 report gave the Potomac a C grade. Guest blogger at the American Rivers blog explains why:
Potomac River Report Card: (The Potomac Conservancy)
Potomac River Report Card Explanation: (American Rivers)
Chesapeake Bay environment and water quality blog 