The good news is that the waters of the Chesapeake are getting progressively cleaner and the crab population has experienced a significant rebound. The bad news is that anti-immigrant politics have plunged the Chesapeake crabbing industry into chaos.
First, more on the good news. Last year, a study by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science reported that in 2016, Chesapeake Bay fisheries received an “A” for the health of the blue crab, anchovy and rockfish populations. Blue crabs scored 90 percent, improving drastically compared with two years ago, when the grade was 32 percent.
The really bad news is that despite the recovery of the crab fisheries, there is a dramatic shortage of workers to pick the meat sold in restaurants and supermarkets. The anti-immigrant policies of the current administration has resulted in 40% of the seasonal crab workers not receiving temporary visas to work in the Maryland crab processing plants.
The media has called the Russian floating nuclear power plant Akademik Lomonosov a 
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A new study has found record quantities of microplastics in sea ice. The 
A new race is being organized for 2019 and 2020 to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the discovery of the 
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I realize that I am in a rut. Every Earth Day, I say the same thing. Over 70% of the surface of this planet is covered by water, so referring to the planet as “earth” is just wrong. But be that as it may, the misnamed planet is still called Earth and Earth Day is a worthwhile celebration of protecting the planet, both the soil and the watery portions. Below is a TED talk by one of the world’s great sailors, Dame Ellen MacArthur, about what she learned when she was sailing around the world alone. As she circled the globe alone, she began thinking about the idea of “the circular economy,” an intriguing insight. Definitely worth watching.
The lobstermen of Maine are known for their independence. They don’t often ask for help. Like many other states, Maine has been struck hard by the opioid crisis. In many coastal communities, opioid addiction is taking a serious toll, particularly on lobstermen. How serious the problem is hard to say. Of the 376 people who died of drug overdoses in Maine last year, one cannot identify how many were fishermen as the state doesn’t keep records by profession. Anecdotally, however, the number appears to be disproportionately high. Some estimate that up to 50% of the stern men working in the $1.6 billion dollar a year industry have or have had problems with addiction.