Chesapeake Bay Research

1. Chesapeake Bay Research BY: Maggie ( Margaret ) Madden

2. Why is it important to have a variety of living things in the bay? It is important because oysters clean the bay. Toadfish are ideal candidates for medical research for scientist. And plankton are important because they form the base of the food chain in the bay. My research will show that oysters, toadfish, and plankton are important to the bay.

3. Oysters The oysters are important, they help clean the bay. Oysters shells are dirty grey. Up to 50,000,000 eggs may be released by the female at one time. They breed in the Summer. Their length is about 8 cm. And they are shucked and eaten raw, cooked, and smoked.

4. Toadfish Toadfish have eyes that stick out of their heads. They are very bony fish. If you examine their mouths, they can look very threatening. Usually they eat other animals and plants. They often fight among themselves. Scientist make them ideal candidates for medical research. This helps them to study them to learn things that they may have never known about them.

5. Plankton Plankton form the base of the food chain in the bay. Some fish consume plankton for their lives. They are sensitive to environmental changes. Usually, plankton have a short life span. All fish and shellfish depend on plankton for food during the early part of their lives. Plankton are often used as indicators of the the Chesapeake Bay’s health.

6. Conclusion In conclusion, I learned that some animals in the bay are very important and helpful in life. So lets try to help the bay by not littering and polluting. Maybe YOU can make a big change by not doing these things.

7. Bibliography • Bay 101/Chesapeake bay Program, www.chesapeakebay.net • Bayquest/Bayville, www.bayville.thinkport.org • Oysters Drill, www.edu.uriedu/reshorahon