Save the Bay News

Save the Bay News: Blue Crabs, Baltimore Oysters, and the Impact of Federal Cuts

May 30, 2025

Peter Cross

This month’s newsletter features a range of stories from a crashing blue crab population to the return of oyster restoration following the Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore. Read on.

Two pieces of news this month provided perhaps the best snapshot of the current state of the Chesapeake Bay. First, CBF staff, students, and community volunteers celebrated the official return of oyster restoration work on the Fort Carroll sanctuary reef in Baltimore’s Patapsco River, just over a year after the tragic collapse of the nearby Key Bridge made the reef inaccessible. To everyone’s relief, the oysters on the reef appear to be thriving, and half a million more will be joining them this summer if all goes to plan. It’s the latest example of what’s turning into one of the Bay’s biggest success stories: the slow return of its once-decimated oyster population. Yet, just a week later, news broke that the number of blue crabs in the Bay reached its second-lowest level on record, a distressing and mysterious decline that scientists are still scrambling to unravel.

These twin stories illustrate both the incredible progress restoration efforts are making and the Bay ecosystem’s persistent fragility. And they underscore what is at stake in the federal government’s ongoing assault on agency budgets and resources that are critical to Bay restoration, as CBF President Hilary Harp Falk recently told NBC News4 in Washington. The cuts threaten to unravel decades of progress on environmental and human health, undermine the momentum for clean water on Pennsylvania farms, and suspend environmental education initiatives that are creating more opportunities for students across the watershed to experience and learn about their local environment. “[The Bay is] getting better,” Falk told News4. “The idea that we would stop or take a step back really is hard to get your head around.”

Two Childhoods, One Bay

Imagine two children born in the Chesapeake Bay region—one in 1970, one in 2025. How might their lives, and health, be different? The answer illustrates how recent federal regulatory rollbacks and proposed budget cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) threaten to unravel decades of environmental progress, putting the health and safety of millions at risk.

On Friday, May 9, students from the Baltimore Lab School boarded CBF’s Snow Goose and planted roughly 11,565 oysters in Baltimore Harbor.

Oysters Survive Key Bridge Collapse

A little more than a year after the tragic collapse of the Key Bridge in Baltimore made it impossible to access the Fort Carroll oyster sanctuary reef, CBF staff and students celebrated the return of oyster restoration work there this month. Thankfully, the existing oysters on the reef appeared healthy and thriving, and we plan to plant an additional 500,000 this summer.

Second-generation sheep and goat farmer Amanda Lee-Milner lost a $45,000 grant to create four paddocks within an existing forest when the Department of Government Efficiency froze Climate Smart funding. The fenced paddocks would have provided more food and a cooler foraging area for her goats, among other benefits to her land and livestock.

Farmers Face Federal Uncertainty

Deanne Boyer and Amanda Lee-Milner are just two Pennsylvania farmers who had planned to use federal grant money to jumpstart projects to protect clean water and improve operations on their land. But with the grant program canceled, the future of those projects—and many others—is in doubt, as are the benefits to local economies and water quality.

Third graders from Newberry Elementary School learn about dissecting flowers to examine their different parts during a lesson on pollinators at Kings Gap Environmental Center in Carlisle, PA.

No Place Like Home for Outdoor Learning

Environmental science teacher Maddie Bentz used to use far-off places like the Amazon and Yellowstone as case studies to teach her students about ecosystems and biodiversity. Last summer, she and her colleagues at Big Spring High School in Pennsylvania overhauled their curriculum to focus on local environmental issues right in their backyard. The change engaged more students, but the federal grant that helped make it happen is now under threat.

A prized blue crab near Port Isobel Island, Virginia.

Why Are Blue Crabs Crashing?

The annual survey of blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay is in, and the results aren’t good. Blue crab numbers are estimated at their second-lowest level in the survey’s 35-year history. What’s behind the decline in one of the Bay’s tastiest—and most valuable—creatures? Here’s what we know, and what we don’t.

In the News

Advocates worry about future of Chesapeake Bay: Conservationists and advocates, including CBF President Hilary Harp Falk spoke with NBC News in Washington, saying federal chaos and proposed budget cuts are putting decades of environmental progress in jeopardy.

Trump budget would devastate Chesapeake Bay restoration: The president’s proposed fiscal year 2026 “skinny” budget would gut funding for key federal agencies involved in restoration and eliminate resources that support joint state and federal cleanup efforts.

Chesapeake Bay blue crab population drops to distressing low: The 2025 Winter Dredge Survey conducted by Maryland and Virginia estimated total crab abundance at 238 million, the second lowest since the survey began in 1990.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signs Bay Legacy Act: The legislation will make implementing environmentally friendly practices easier and more appealing for individuals and businesses across Maryland.

CBF challenges Maryland salmon farm discharge permit: The court petition raises major concerns about a key permit for the proposed AquaCon salmon farm in Cecil County.

Hampton River restoration kicks off with CBF’s largest living shoreline: The new “Roots to Reef” initiative is underway to protect the city of Hampton from climate change threats by building its largest living shoreline combined with oyster reefs.

Virginia Senate appoints CBF’s Jay Ford to key flooding committee: The committee will focus on developing comprehensive legislative solutions to aid communities in persistent problems related to Virginia’s most costly natural hazard.

Federal funding freeze is blow to clean water momentum on Pennsylvania farms: The freeze leaves behind unpaid contracts, people out of work, and obstacles to reducing pollution to local waters and the Chesapeake Bay.

Shop the CBF Store

New Styles this Summer

The countdown to summer is on, and we’re ready! Whether you’re soaking up the sun in the backyard or cooling off by the pool, the CBF Store has fresh new designs for the season.

What You Can Do

The Trump administration is continuing its assault on the decades-long Chesapeake Bay restoration effort. Rise up with us now. Contact your members of Congress today and urge them to do the right thing: Protect environmental funding! Protect agency staffing!
It’s not too late to sign up for a 13-week Community Supported Agriculture share from CBF’s Clagett Farm and receive fresh, local produce this summer! And don’t forget to shop the Farm Store for responsibly raised grass-fed meat
CBF’s BayRaiser tool allows you to create your own DIY fundraiser to save the Bay! Whether you host a bake sale, raffle, competition, or run a company car wash, every dollar you raise goes directly toward saving the Bay.
Match Alert: Our biggest matching gift of the year is here! Your Bay-saving donation is now worth DOUBLE until June 30 thanks to our generous friends at The Orokawa Foundation.

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