When John Smith first arrived at the Chesapeake Bay in 1609, he marveled at the abundance of marine life that flourished before him. At that time, the oyster population was estimated to be well over 20 million, however over-harvesting and rampant pollution of the bay has decimated the population to just barely 250,000. And let us not forget Maryland’s famous Blue Crab, as well as the deteriorating population of the other diverse species of fish, turtles, and clams. I am an 8th grader at William H. Farquhar Middle School in Olney, MD who hopes to see action being taken in order to protect the wildlife and culture of Maryland for the future. We need more effort put into cleaning our amazing bay.
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