![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8GReAGGFAfprhWMI0HKTaIYwlqaaEvFpHhbYTDQoiztpfm2T9Ef_O8RwWlJlwlzesUZV6YHtLVe-RkKDvM5xSKjWCnOe-TbEIspvNjxNvHYnUxQMd-sKT_PptGr-lsfHof1v_JQ7JkGA/s400/File%253AOysterBed.jpeg)
An oyster bed at low tide. Notice the thousands of individual oysters encrusted on top of one another. Photo taken by JohnCub, from Wikimedia Commons.
The Chesapeake Bay is home to a wonderful variety of plants and animals. One of the invertebrates that makes a home here is the Eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica. This bivalve mollusk, which was once abundant in the Bay, has faced many hardships in the recent past. Over-harvesting, poor water quality from over nitrification and pollution, and in increase in sedimentation from runoff has caused populations to decline to less than 2% of their historical numbers. This is a problem for the oysters, and other denizens of the Bay.