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| Maryland Coastal Bays - Reporting Region Summary:
Scores & Conceptual Diagram
Isle of Wight Bay received the third-highest grade of all the reporting regions. Hard clams improved from poor in 2008 to good in 2009. Seagrasses were poor, but the water quality indicators ranged from moderate to very good. The overall score increased slightly from 2008. 
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| Indicator | Score | Indicator | Score | |||
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Chlorophyll a | 90% |
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Seagrass | 30% |
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Dissolved oxygen | 51% |
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Hard Clams | 61% |
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Total Nitrogen | 70% |
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Total Phosphorus | 50% |
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Excel Spreadsheet
Editable Vector Diagram (SVG)Maps
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Region Info
Tourism in Isle of Wight Bay is a big business. With some 300,000 weekend visitors to its eastern flank, the bay hosts recreational interests of all varieties from Ocean City.
Geography of the region
The northern boundary of the Isle of Wight Bay is the Route 90 bridge and its southern boundary is the Route 50 bridge. Both bridges link the mainland of Worcester County to the Fenwick Barrier Island and Town of Ocean City. Along the eastern edge three creeks; Manklin, Turville and Herring empty into the bay as does the St. Martin River. The major land uses are agriculture, forestry and residential/commercial development.
Health Pressures
There are at least 111 canals adjacent to the Coastal Bays, 59 of which are in Isle of Wight Bay. Most of these canals were built between 1960 and 1980 by development projects that dug the canals to create residential waterfront lots. Most were dug through wetlands with the material being side-cast to build up elevation. The canals were often dug deeper than their receiving water, resulting in lower bottom elevations and poor flushing. This causes canal water to stagnate and become depleted of dissolved oxygen, which is essential for organisms to survive. The canals also receive pollutants from stormwater runoff, discarded residential trash, and the leaching of pollutants from treated bulkheads and boat paints.