; Whereas the Bay supports more than 3,600 species of plants and animals, including 348 species of finfish, 173 species of shellfish, over 2,700 plant species, and more than 16 species of underwater grasses; Whereas the Chesapeake region is home to at least 29 species of waterfowl; Whereas nearly 80,000 acres of underwater grasses grow in the shallows of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries; Whereas young and molting blue crabs rely on underwater grass beds for protection from predators; Whereas 70 to 90 percent of all striped bass, known locally as rockfish, were spawned in the Bay; Whereas the Bay watershed is home to more than 18 million people, and about 150,000 new people move into the watershed each year; Whereas two of the United States major east coast ports, the Port of Baltimore and the Port of Virginia, are on the Chesapeake Bay; Whereas there are more than 700 public access points on the Bay and its tributaries; Whereas the Bay produces about 500 million pounds of seafood per year; Whereas the average annual blue crab commercial harvest in Maryland and Virginia between 2000 and 2009 was more than 55 million pounds; Whereas the Chesapeake Bay provides half of the total blue crab harvest in the United States; Whereas the commercial seafood industry in Maryland and Virginia combined equals $3.39 billion in sales, $890 million in income, and nearly 34,000 jobs to the local economy per year; Whereas to restore and protect this national treasure, the Chesapeake Bay Program partnership (the Partnership ) was formed in 1983; Whereas for more than 30 years, this regional Partnership has become recognized as one of the Nation’s premier estuarine restoration efforts, implementing policies, engaging in scientific investigation, and coordinating actions among the States, the District of Columbia, and the Federal Government