Rising water temperatures and ocean acidification are threatening the well-being of the Chesapeake Bay's marine life.
The Chesapeake Bay has been a source for delicious seafood for centuries, but now the marine life appears to be threatened.
Blue crabs, oysters and striped bass play a predominate role in Chesapeake seafood. Unfortunately, all three are at risk.
Oysters are threatened by ocean acidification, caused by extra carbon dioxide in the ocean, which makes it harder for oysters and crabs to build their shells, leaving them vulnerable.
The average temperature of the Chesapeake Bay has increased by two degrees Fahrenheit since the 1930s.
Striped bass, which reportedly generate $500 million economically every year, are being threatened by warmer water temperatures than they're used too.
The rise in temperatures has also affected oysters, by exposing them to parasites since the 1980s.
Along with providing five-hundred million pounds of seafood each year, the bay also provides almost 34,000 jobs to the local economy.
If seafood production is threatened, so too are those jobs and income.
It's feared that within the next hundred years, the aquatic life in the Chesapeake Bay will look completely different due to these threats.
