ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, April 16, 1997 TAG: 9704160049
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: NORFOLK
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
New grasses mean an expanded habitat for crabs and fish.
Chesapeake Bay sea grasses rebounded last year after two years of decline, expanding habitat for struggling crab and fish populations.
The improvement, based on an aerial photo survey aided by computers, is a sign that the bay's water is cleaner, scientists said.
According to survey results released Monday, scientists determined that underwater grass beds increased by almost 6 percent throughout the bay in 1996, or by more than 3,500 acres.
Some of the biggest gains were found in the lower James River, where eel and widgeon grasses took hold in the industrial waters off Newport News.
Near Fishermans Island at the southern tip of Virginia's Eastern Shore, grasses grew in small patches where researchers have never seen them.
``It's a little weird we're getting these results, but it is encouraging,'' said Bob Orth, an aquatic plants specialist at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.
The institute, a branch of the College of William and Mary, coordinates the annual grass survey, along with state and federal scientists in Maryland.
Underwater grasses are crucial to the health of the bay. They produce oxygen, provide food and shelter for crabs and fish, and absorb nutrient pollution from sewage treatment plants, farms and urban lawns.
Scientists say 30 times more young crabs live in grass beds than in areas without them.
LENGTH: Short : 39 linesby CNB