John Smith arrived in Virginia nearly 400 years ago, he was awed by the abundance of its waters. He wrote of once seeing enough striped bass near Jamestown to fill a 100-ton ship. Today, the rivers in Virginia appear far different. They are cloudy with sediment, while in some areas the oxygen level is often too low to support most aquatic species.
Grasses occupy only a fraction of their historic habitat.
And in some places, there are concerns about the potential for outbreaks of fish-killing pfiesteria. Most likely, something between those images. Exactly what will be sorted out in the next few months. Ultimately, other Bay tributaries will be doing the same thing. If not, new reduction goals are to be set by 2001.