Living Resources Data Sets
| The resources data base includes all data pertaining to fisheries. These data can be used to assess the economic value and ecological importance of the Chesapeake Bay. The data were selected based on temporal and spacial completeness. Fisheries data are both general and scientific. The general fisheries harvest, or landing, data ranges from 1880 to 1981 and was compiled for the entire Bay by the National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The more detailed landings data came from the National Marine Fisheries Service and ranged from 1962 to 1981. These data are stored by river system in the data base. Oyster spat set and oyster condition indices were collected by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science for the entire Bay. Maryland spat data range from 1939 to 1971, while the Virginia spat data range from 1946 to 1981. The oyster condition index, which rates the oyster quality, was collected in Maryland from 1963 to 1981. Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) is also considered a natural resource. Percent coverage of SAV has been recorded as far back as 1936. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined percent vegetation from 1971 to 1981. A more detailed aerial survey to determine the area of coverage for the entire Bay was done from 1977 to 1979 and again in the mid-1980's by EPA and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. |
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Benthos:
Finfish:
Shellfish:
Finfish and Shellfish:
SAV:
Look Up Tables:
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