Chesapeake Bay Research

1. Chesapeake Bay Research BY: Dorothy Leib

2. Why is it important to have a variety of living things in the Bay? It is important to have a variety of living things in the Bay. The Blue Crabs help the Bay because there are more then one million of them. Oysters are important to the Bay because they give more oxygen. Sea Cucumbers is helpful to the Bay because a lot of Chinese like to eat them. My research shows that living animals in the Bay are important.

3. Blue Crabs There are about more then one million Blue Crabs. Adult Blue Crabs eat both animals and plants. The Blue Crab is the most popular sea food in the Chesapeake Bay. They eat even young blue crabs (but including dead plants and animals). They eat bivalves like soft shell clams, other crustaceans such as shrimp, fish, marine worm, and anything they can find.

4. Oysters They keep the oysters in the hatchery to keep them safe. They put the oysters in the hatchery so they can grow and be healthy. They get rid of plankton and then get food.

5. Sea Cucumber Chinese people use dried sea cucumbers to make stew. Sea turtles, crustacean (such as crabs), and many fish eat sea cucumbers. They eat dead or decaying plants and animals that floats in water near them. They move like caterpillars, using there tube feet to hold on as they contact and expand. They do most of there hunting at night. Sea cucumber are often found in deeper Bay waters in area’s where the water has a high salt content.

6. Conclusion I learned that some sea animals are important to the Bay because many people eat Blue Crabs, Oysters, and Sea Cucumbers. Also some of them provide oxygen for us and that is popular in the Bay.

7. BIbliography BayQuest http://bayville.thinkport.org Bay 101 www.chesapeakebay Bay Trippers http://baytrippers.thinkport.org