Chesapeake Bay Journal

More than 400 years ago, Atlantic sturgeon helped to save the starving colonists at Jamestown, who discovered that the giant fish were a reliable food source much of the year. The James River, Capt. John Smith wrote, "had more sturgeon than could be devoured by dog and man."

Archaeologists, in fact, commonly find parts of sturgeon at the earliest settlement's site.

"I call it the foundation fish of America, because without sturgeon, we may be speaking Spanish now, or French," said Albert Spells, Virginia fisheries coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Scientists estimate that fewer than 300 adult sturgeon use the James River for spawning. Nonetheless, it's the healthiest sturgeon population in the Bay. The York River is believed to have an even smaller population. Decades ago, the fish vanished altogether from the Rappahannock, Potomac, Nanticoke and Susquehanna.

Proposed national standard for phosphorus derailed by critics: Last summer, U.S. Department of Agriculture officials floated a nationwide standard to limit the amount of phosphorus farmers could apply to fields. But by December, they had pulled it back in the face of stiff opposition from a group of agriculture scientists.

Groups ask EPA to dedicate funding for Treasured Landscapes: Representatives of more than two dozen state agencies and environmental and land-conservation organizations wrote a letter to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson in January endorsing the concept of a Baywide Treasured Landscapes initiative and asking for a dedicated funding source to implement it.

VA legislators propose bills to give VMRC authority to manage menhaden: Two bills offered on the first day of the 2010 Virginia General Assembly session would take away the assembly's authority to manage menhaden and give it to the Virginia Marine Resources Commission.

Clean water forum unites efforts at all levels: The first annual conference of the Choose Clean Water Coalition did not lack for big names.

VA puts new rules for stormwater runoff on hold: The Virginia Board of Soil and Water Conservation has again tabled new statewide regulations designed to reduce the amount of nutrients entering the Chesapeake Bay from polluted stormwater runoff.

EPA: States will face 'consequences' for failing to meet cleanup deadlines: If the Bay states do not write, fund and implement adequate Bay cleanup plans in coming months and years, the EPA is ready to crack down on air and water permits, make new development meet tougher requirements, and further ratchet down on water dischargers.

Rendell proposes 5% tax on natural gas industry in PA: Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell announced this month that he will introduce a plan to tax the fast-growing natural gas industry this year-a move that could put hundreds of millions of dollars back in the cash-strapped state budget.

Backpack website sets watershed's teachers on the right path for Chesapeake adventures: Teachers throughout the Bay watershed will have to hike no farther than the nearest computer to learn how to integrate the Chesapeake, and the rivers and streams that feed it, into their lessons.

Biofuel industry touted for region: Energy from farms and forests could provide more than 18,000 jobs in the region, reduce water pollution and help clean the air, according to a new report from the Chesapeake Bay Commission.

Late VIMS professors were leading researchers in their fields: Dr. Willard A. Van Engel, a pioneer in blue crab research and professor emeritus, of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science died Dec. 25. He was 94.

Patuxent Research refuge seeks public input on conservation plan: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking public input on developing its Comprehensive Conservation Plan for the Patuxent Research Refuge.