ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Governor Wes Moore led the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Executive Council this week in approving a revised Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement that outlines major environmental and economic goals for the region through 2040.
The updated agreement includes commitments to reduce nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment pollution in the Chesapeake Bay while also emphasizing especially tourism and seafood industries that depend on the Bay. In Maryland alone, the Bay supports 58,000 tourism jobs and 3,300 seafood industry jobs, contributing over $3.8 billion annually.
“Today we made a commitment to the Chesapeake Bay and a commitment to the people of Maryland and our neighboring states,” said Moore. “It will ensure we protect the precious heirloom that is the Chesapeake Bay so we can pass it down to the next generations in a better condition than we received it.”
The new agreement, signed by six states and Washington, D.C., builds on more than two years of collaboration between state agencies, environmental advocates, scientists, and local communities.
The agreement’s goals include oyster and mussel restoration, wetlands protection, land conservation, waterbird protection, and expansion of public access to nature. A midpoint progress check is set for 2033.
According to Governor Moore's office, Maryland has invested $15.9 billion in Bay restoration since 2000 and has already hit many of its previous environmental targets. The state reached its 30% land conservation goal in 2024, conserving nearly 2 million acres. Moore says Maryland also co-led the world’s largest oyster restoration project with Virginia, rehabilitating oyster populations in 11 tidal rivers and helping triple the state’s adult oyster population in recent years.
Additionally, Maryland has restored more than 2,500 miles of river to improve fish migration and is expected to meet its own nitrogen and phosphorus reduction targets by the end of 2025. Looking ahead, the state is preparing for three more large-scale oyster restoration projects and is developing its first freshwater mussel restoration efforts, funded in part by the Conowingo Dam settlement with Exelon.