WILLIAMSBURG, Va., Sept. 9 -- William and Mary issued the following news release:
The following story originally appeared on the website for William & Mary's VIMS & Batten School. - Ed.
Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), one of the Chesapeake Bay's most important indicators of ecosystem health, increased by 7% in 2025, according to researchers at William & Mary's VIMS & Batten School.
The annual bay-wide aerial survey reported a total of 89,385 acres of underwater grasses in the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries, an increase of 6,134 acres from 2024. The results represent the highest bay-wide acreage recorded since 2018. The total is just shy of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement's 2030 interim goal of 90,000 acres and repres...