Chesapeake Almanac

Chesapeake Almanac

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Chesapeake Almanac episodes

  • July: Grass Shrimp Don't Have Many Friends
    (Oops! If you listened to this podcast before 11:30 a.m. EST 7/21/21 you heard the wrong audio! We've got the right one up now !)
    Grass shrimp have no commercial value to the Chesapeake Bay, but every predator fish over four inches long eats them with relish. That makes them not only an important species in the Bay food web, but also good bait. Find out more about these Bay crustaceans, including where to find them and how to use them to catch your preferred fin fish. Not an angler? John Page also tells you how to eat them yourself.
    10 min
  • July: Traveling Crabs
    Chesapeake Bay blue crabs can be found in both Maryland and Virginia waters, though some say Maryland crabs taste sweeter. There's reason for that. There's also a reason that when tropical storm Agnes hit the Bay area in 1972, it didn't result in a massive loss of crab larvae that the prevailing theories predicted. For nearly 10 years a broad team of scientists pieced the puzzle together. In this episode, John Page reveals what they found.
    7 min
  • July: The Essential Menhaden
    Menhaden are low on the food chain. In fact, it has been said their high levels of protein and oil, their abundance, defenselessness, and dense schooling habit make them virtually designed to be eaten by larger fish in the Chesapeake Bay. But each year hundreds of millions of pounds of these fish (also called bunker, alewife, bogey, and bugfish) are caught by humans. Their uses range from bait to omega-3 capsules to animal feed to cosmetics and more. In this episode, John Page shares the big story behind the little fish on which much of the Bay's economy depends.
    8 min
  • June: Eelgrass: Carpet of Life
    Eelgrass is one of only a handful of flowering plants that can live submerged full-time in salt water. It's an important habitat for small fish, shrimp, and all sizes of crabs. In this episode, John Page shares the story of a young family's first experience investigating the wonders of eelgrass beds and their importance to the Chesapeake Bay.
    8 min
  • June: Intro to Summer
    For most of us, summer is high season on the Bay. Whatever we do, whether fishing or crabbing or cruising, this is our favorite time on the water. In any season, what we do on the Bay is a strong reflection of what is happening in the Bay. And summer's weather pattern-- with hot temperatures, low rainfall, and less wind--has a number of effects on the Bay and the creatures that live in and around it.
    Join John Page Williams for an expedition into the summer Bay and its common species on and off the water.
    10 min
  • June: Cownose Rays Are Really Graceful
    Are rays fish? What is the difference between rays and skates? What are the dangers of catching rays? How do you catch one safely? Can you eat them? John Page Williams answers these and other questions about Chesapeake Bay dwelling cownose rays (Rhinoptera bonasus) on this episode of Chesapeake Almanac.
    6 min
  • June: For Soft-Crabbers, Summer Is a Busy Season
    During a 24- to 30-month life span, a blue crab will molt over 20 times. What goes on inside the animal to trigger the shedding of its entire shell? And what does it mean for the crab, and for the crabbers who do business in soft crabs? John Page Williams sheds light on both the human and critter stories.
    7 min
  • May: Tides Do Strange Things
    Walkerton, Virginia is 58 miles from the Chesapeake Bay, and the Mattaponi River running through it is completely fresh water, making it easy to forget it has any connection to the Bay at all. But it has an interesting claim to fame--it has the highest average daily tide change of any location on the Chesapeake.
    How does such a distant, freshwater town have such a strong tide? John Page Williams explains how the interactions of fresh water, salt water, short-period waves, long-period waves, and the uniqueness of the Mattaponi itself converge to create Walkerton's unique place on the tide tables.
    8 min
  • May: Cattails-Springtime Treats from the Marshes
    Did you know cattails are edible? Besides being important as food and habitat to birds, mammals, insects, and fish, they can have a place in your pantry. In this episode, John Page Williams talks about the different ways to enjoy two species of cattails common to Chesapeake Bay country.
    6 min

About Chesapeake Almanac

From the publisher's feed

Join retired Chesapeake Bay Foundation Senior Naturalist John Page Williams every Wednesday for inside accounts of our Bay’s creatures and seasonal events.