NOAA recently selected the Middle Peninsula in Virginia as the next Habitat Focus Area. The Middle Peninsula Habitat Focus Area includes the tidal watershed of the York River, Piankatank River, and Mobjack Bay in Virginia. Working with partners in the … Continued
After a two year pause, major efforts to restore oyster reefs have resumed in the Lynnhaven River estuary. Construction in at least two sites in the river recently got under way, using hard substrate and fossil shell to build the … Continued
The City of Norfolk will receive a $1,252,500 million grant from the National Coastal Resilience Fund (NCRF) to construct the Lindenwood-Barraud Park Living Shoreline. Matching funds will be provided through the City’s stormwater capital budget. The National Fish and Wildlife … Continued
In 2016, Rudee Tours and Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center joined Whale SENSE, a voluntary responsible whale watching program. The local whale watching season runs from January to March, when the humpback whales migrate through the mid-Atlantic from their … Continued
In 2015, the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) voted to increase protection for oyster restoration sites in the Lafayette River near Norfolk as well as other Virginia tributaries. For decades, the Lafayette River has been closed to oyster harvesting due … Continued
The Commonwealth of Virginia has a marine debris reduction plan in place, the first of its kind on the East Coast. In 2012, the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program began scoping out a framework. In less than two years, they … Continued
In 2012, NOAA Fisheries announced $435,000 in funding to support oyster and wetlands restoration projects in the Lafayette River. The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office and NOAA Restoration Center provided approximately $300,000 to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Elizabeth River … Continued