NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office

The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office uses science, service, and stewardship to improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay and ensure its sustainable use for generations to come. As part of NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Habitat Conservation, we apply science and engage communities to tackle problems and challenges facing the Bay. Our work includes habitat science, oyster restoration, sustainable fisheries, climate resiliency; and environmental literacy. To carry out this work, the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office is organized into three branches: Environmental Literacy and Partnerships, Ecosystem Science and Synthesis, and Scientific Operations.

We are a partner in the Chesapeake Bay Program, leading the Program’s fisheries, environmental literacy, and climate resiliency efforts, and supporting the habitat work. The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office was formally established by Congress in 1992. We are based in Annapolis, Maryland. Staff are also stationed at the Environmental Science Training Center on the Cooperative Oxford Laboratory campus in Oxford, Maryland, and at the NOAA Marine Center in Norfolk, Virginia.