The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It is located in the Mid-Atlantic region and is mostly separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula. This area includes parts of Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Virginia’s Eastern Shore, and the state of Delaware. The southern end of the bay is between Cape Henry and Cape Charles. The northern part of the bay is in Maryland, and the southern part is in Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay is important for the environment and economy of Maryland, Virginia, and other states in its watershed. More than 150 rivers and streams flow into the bay’s drainage basin, which covers parts of six states—New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia—and all of Washington, D.C.

The bay is about 200 miles long, stretching from the Susquehanna River in the north to the Atlantic Ocean. It is 2.8 miles wide at its narrowest point and 30 miles wide at its widest point, near the mouth of the Potomac River. The total shoreline, including rivers and streams, is 11,684 miles long. The bay’s surface area is 4,479 square miles, and its average depth is 21 feet, with a maximum depth of 174 feet. The bay is connected by two bridges: the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in Maryland, linking Sandy Point near Annapolis to Kent Island, and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge–Tunnel in Virginia, connecting Virginia Beach to Cape Charles.

The Chesapeake Bay is known for its beauty and natural resources. However, since the mid-20th century, the number of crabs, oysters, and fishermen has decreased. Pollution from nutrients and runoff from cities has harmed water quality, damaging ecosystems and making it harder for shellfish to survive due to overharvesting. Restoration efforts started in the 1990s and continue today, showing hope for increasing native oyster populations. In 2015, the health of the bay improved for three years in a row. Slight improvements in water quality were also seen in 2021 compared to 2020. The bay also faces challenges from climate change, which causes rising sea levels that damage coastal areas and change marine ecosystems.

Etymology

The word Chesepiooc comes from the Algonquian language and means "at a big river." It is the seventh-oldest English place name still in use in the United States. The name was first used as Chesepiook by explorers traveling north from the Roanoke Colony into a river that flows into the Chesapeake Bay in 1585 or 1586. The name may also describe the Chesapeake people or the Chesepian, a Native American tribe that lived in an area now called South Hampton Roads in Virginia. This area includes the modern cities of Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, and Virginia Beach. In 2005, an expert in Algonquian languages named Blair Rudes explained that the word "Chesapeake" does not mean "great shellfish bay," as many people believed. Instead, it might mean "great water" or refer to a village located at the mouth of the bay. The first European name for the bay was "Bahia de Santa Maria," which means "St. Mary's Bay" in Spanish.

Physical geography

The Chesapeake Bay is an estuary, a place where fresh water from rivers mixes with salt water from the ocean. It is located between the Delmarva Peninsula to the east and the North American mainland to the west. The bay is a ria, which is a valley that was flooded by the sea when sea levels rose. This valley was once the path of the Susquehanna River when the sea level was lower. It is not a fjord, because the Laurentide Ice Sheet did not reach as far south as the northern part of the bay. North of Baltimore, the western shore is near the hilly Piedmont region of Maryland. South of the city, the bay is in the low-lying coastal plain of Maryland, with sedimentary cliffs to the west and flat islands, winding creeks, and marshes to the east. Large rivers that flow into the bay from the west have wide mouths and extend far inland as part of the main ria.

The bay’s shape and location were created by a large object from space, called a bolide, that hit Earth about 35.5 million years ago. This impact formed the Chesapeake Bay impact crater and later shaped the Susquehanna River valley. The bay began forming about 10,000 years ago when rising sea levels after the last ice age flooded the Susquehanna River valley. Some parts of the bay, like the coastline in Calvert County, Maryland, have cliffs made of deposits left by receding waters millions of years ago. These cliffs, known as Calvert Cliffs, are famous for their fossils, especially shark teeth, which are often found on nearby beaches. A beach community in Calvert County called Scientists’ Cliffs was named in 1935 to honor scientists.

Most of the bay is shallow. Near where the Susquehanna River flows into the bay, the average depth is 30 feet (9 meters). This depth decreases to about 10 feet (3 meters) southeast of Havre de Grace, Maryland, and increases to about 35 feet (11 meters) just north of Annapolis. On average, the bay is 21 feet (6.4 meters) deep, including its tributaries. Over 24 percent of the bay is less than 6 feet (2 meters) deep.

As an estuary, the bay has fresh water, salt water, and brackish water. Brackish water has three salinity zones: oligohaline, mesohaline, and polyhaline. The freshwater zone runs from the mouth of the Susquehanna River to north of Baltimore. The oligohaline zone has very little salt, with salinity ranging from 0.5 to 10 parts per thousand (ppt). Freshwater species can live there. This zone begins at the mouth of the Susquehanna River and ends at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. The mesohaline zone has medium salt levels, with salinity from 1.07% to 1.8%. It runs from the Bay Bridge to the mouth of the Rappahannock River. The polyhaline zone is the saltiest, with salinity ranging from 1.87% to 3.6% (as salty as the ocean). It runs from the mouth of the Rappahannock River to the mouth of the bay.

The climate around the bay is mostly humid subtropical, with hot, humid summers and cold to mild winters. Only the area near the mouth of the Susquehanna River has a continental climate, and the river’s mouth and flats often freeze in winter. It is rare for the bay’s surface to freeze, which last happened in the winter of 1976–77.

The Chesapeake Bay is the endpoint of more than 150 rivers and streams. The largest rivers that flow directly into the bay, in order of water flow, are the Susquehanna River, Potomac River, James River, Rappahannock River, York River, Patuxent River, and Choptank River.

For more information about rivers in the Chesapeake Bay, see the List of Chesapeake Bay rivers.

Flora and fauna

The Chesapeake Bay is home to many animals that either visit the bay during the year or live there all year. There are more than 300 types of fish, along with many shellfish and crab species. Some of these include the Atlantic menhaden, striped bass, American eel, eastern oyster, Atlantic horseshoe crab, and blue crab.

Birds that live in or near the bay include ospreys, great blue herons, bald eagles, and peregrine falcons. Bald eagles and peregrine falcons were once in danger because of a chemical called DDT. Their numbers dropped but have increased in recent years. The piping plover is a species that is close to being threatened and lives in wetlands.

Larger fish such as Atlantic sturgeon, sharks, and stingrays visit the bay. The Chesapeake Bay is one of the most important places for sharks to have babies along the east coast. Large animals like bull sharks, tiger sharks, scalloped hammerhead sharks, basking sharks, and manta rays also visit the bay. Smaller sharks and stingrays that are regular or occasional visitors include smooth dogfish, spiny dogfish, cownose rays, and bonnethead sharks.

Bottlenose dolphins live in the bay seasonally or year-round. Humpback whales have been seen in the bay, though these sightings are not confirmed. Endangered whales, such as the North Atlantic right whale, fin whale, minke whale, and sei whale, have also been seen near the bay.

A male manatee visited the bay several times between 1994 and 2011, even though the area is north of where manatees usually live. This manatee had unique markings and was called "Chessie" after a sea monster legend from the 20th century. The manatee was seen as far north as Rhode Island and was the first known manatee to travel that far. Other manatees are sometimes seen in the bay and its rivers, where they eat sea grasses.

Loggerhead turtles visit the bay.

The Chesapeake Bay also has a wide variety of plants, both on land and in the water. Common underwater plants include eelgrass and widgeon grass. A 2011 report stated that underwater grasses are important because they provide food and homes for many species, add oxygen to the water, and improve water clarity. Other plants found in the bay include wild rice, red maple trees, loblolly pines, bald cypress trees, spartina grass, and phragmites.

Invasive plants have grown to be a major problem in the bay. Plants like Phragmites, purple loosestrife, and Japanese stiltgrass have become permanent in wetlands. Another invasive plant, Brazilian waterweed, which comes from South America, has spread to many continents. People who own aquariums sometimes dump their aquarium contents into lakes and streams, helping this plant grow. Brazilian waterweed can block water movement, trap sediment, and harm water quality. Schools in Maryland and Virginia often teach students to grow native bay grasses and plant them in the bay.

History

Scientists believe that the Chesapeake Bay was home to Paleoindians about 11,000 years ago. For thousands of years, Native American groups lived in wooden longhouses near water, where they fished and farmed. They grew crops such as beans, corn, tobacco, and squash. Villages usually lasted 10 to 20 years before being abandoned because resources like firewood ran out or soil became poor. Men hunted, while women oversaw farming. All villagers helped gather fish and shellfish from nearby water. Over time, communities formed groups like the Powhatan, Piscataway, and Nanticoke. Each group included smaller tribes led by a central chief.

In 1524, Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano, who worked for France, sailed past the Chesapeake Bay. During the 1520s, Spanish explorers led by Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón explored parts of the southeastern Atlantic coast. Some sources suggest they may have reached the Chesapeake Bay, but there is no clear proof. Names like “Bahía de Santa María” or “Bahía de Madre de Dios” appeared in later records, though their exact locations are unclear. In 1526, de Ayllón established a short-lived Spanish mission called San Miguel de Gualdape on the Atlantic coast, likely near present-day Georgia. In 1573, Spanish governor Pedro Menéndez de Márquez explored the Chesapeake. In 1570, Spanish Jesuits created the short-lived Ajacan Mission on a Chesapeake tributary in present-day Virginia.

In the late 1500s, English colonists led by Sir Walter Raleigh and Humphrey Gilbert arrived to settle a colony. They later settled on Roanoke Island, off the coast of present-day North Carolina, for the Virginia Company. This marked the first time English people reached the Chesapeake Bay between Cape Charles and Cape Henry. In 1607, Europeans returned to the bay. Captain John Smith of England explored and mapped the bay between 1607 and 1609. His map, “A Map of Virginia,” was published in 1612. Smith wrote that the bay was “a place for man’s habitation.” The Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail, the first all-water National Historic Trail in the United States, was created in 2006. It follows the route of Smith’s 17th-century voyage.

Between 1640 and 1675, many southern English people, called Cavaliers, moved to the Chesapeake Bay region to settle in Virginia and Maryland.

In 1781, the Battle of the Chesapeake (also called the “Battle of the Capes”) took place. French ships defeated British ships, which helped General George Washington and his French allies trap British forces at Yorktown, Virginia. The French and American forces marched from Newport, Rhode Island, through several states, to the Susquehanna River. The route they took is now part of the Washington–Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail.

During the War of 1812, British forces based on Tangier Island raided towns along the Chesapeake Bay, treating it as their own. The Chesapeake Bay Flotilla, a group of armed boats led by Commodore Joshua Barney, tried to stop the attacks. After months of fighting, the British landed near Benedict, Maryland, destroyed the flotilla, and attacked the U.S. Army at Bladensburg. They burned the U.S. Capitol in August 1814 and later attacked Fort Washington and Alexandria, Virginia.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, there were conflicts over oyster harvesting, known as the “Oyster Wars.” Until the mid-1900s, oyster harvesting was as important as crab fishing in the Chesapeake Bay.

In the 1960s, the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant in Maryland began using water from the Chesapeake Bay to cool its reactor.

Navigation

The Chesapeake Bay is part of the Intracoastal Waterway, which connects bays, sounds, and inlets between offshore barrier islands and the coastal mainland along the Atlantic coast. It links the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal (connecting the bay to the north and the Delaware River) with the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal (connecting the bay to the south through the Elizabeth River near Norfolk and Portsmouth to Albemarle Sound and Pamlico Sound in North Carolina and further to the Sea Islands of Georgia). A busy shipping channel, dredged by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers since the 1850s, runs the length of the bay. This channel is an important route for large ships entering or leaving the Port of Baltimore and continuing north through the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal to the ports of Wilmington and Philadelphia on the Delaware River.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, passenger steamships and packet boat lines operated on the bay, connecting cities along its shores, including the Baltimore Steam Packet Company ("Old Bay Line").

In the late 1900s, several road crossings were built. One, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge (also called the Governor William Preston Lane Jr. Memorial Bridge), connects Annapolis, Maryland, to Matapeake on the Eastern Shore, crossing Kent Island. It was completed in 1952, with a second parallel span added in 1973. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge–Tunnel links Virginia’s Eastern Shore to its mainland near Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Chesapeake. It is about 20 miles (32 km) long and includes trestle bridges, two 2-mile (3.2 km) tunnels, and four man-made islands. The bridge opened with two lanes in 1964 and expanded to four lanes in 1999.

Tides in the Chesapeake Bay behave in unique ways due to the bay’s shape, wind patterns, and interaction with ocean tides. Studies in the late 1970s began examining these behaviors. One study found sea level changes occurring every 5 days, influenced by tides at the bay’s mouth and local winds, and every 2.5 days, caused by wind patterns. Another study later found that the bay’s shape allows for a tidal cycle of 1.46 days.

An example of different tidal patterns in the Chesapeake Bay can be seen in tidal predictions from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) (see figure).

At the Chesapeake Bay Bridge–Tunnel (CBBT), located at the southern end of the bay near Norfolk, Virginia, tides are semi-diurnal, meaning they occur twice daily. These tides have small changes in height during spring tides (when the sun, Earth, and moon align) compared to neap tides (when the sun and moon form a right angle). The main cause of tides at CBBT is the typical semi-diurnal ocean tides experienced along the U.S. East Coast.

In Baltimore, located in the northern part of the bay, tides are mixed, meaning their height changes more during spring and neap tides. Spring tides, caused by the sun, Earth, and moon aligning, create the largest tidal changes. Neap tides, when the sun and moon form a right angle, result in smaller tidal changes. In a semi-diurnal system, like at CBBT, neap tides show the smallest difference between high and low tides.

Two key differences between CBBT and Baltimore are their tidal patterns—semi-diurnal at CBBT and mixed at Baltimore—and the differences in tidal height, which are influenced by how energy is lost as tides move through the bay.

Economy

The Chesapeake Bay is famous for its seafood, such as blue crabs, clams, and oysters. In the middle of the 20th century, the bay supported 9,000 full-time watermen, according to one account. Today, the bay is less productive than it used to be because of runoff from cities (mostly on the Western Shore) and farms (especially on the Eastern Shore and in the Susquehanna River watershed), over-harvesting, and the arrival of foreign species.

The large oyster harvests led to the creation of the skipjack, such as the Helen Virginia, which is Maryland’s state boat and the only working boat in the United States still powered by sails. Other common workboats in the bay include sail-powered boats like the log canoe, the pungy, the bugeye, and the motorized Chesapeake Bay deadrise, which is Virginia’s state boat.

In addition to harvesting wild oysters, oyster farming is growing in the bay. Oyster aquaculture does not require much human effort because the bay provides all the food oysters need, making it an environmentally friendly practice compared to other types of fish farming. Oyster farms create jobs and help filter extra nutrients from the water to reduce pollution caused by too much algae. The Chesapeake Bay Program supports oyster restoration projects to lower the amount of nitrogen in the bay.

The bay is well known for its rockfish, a name for striped bass. Rockfish were once nearly extinct but have recovered due to laws that banned fishing them for a time, allowing their numbers to grow. Today, rockfish can be caught only in limited amounts.

Other popular fish in the Chesapeake Bay include shad, cobia, croaker, redfish, winter flounder, and summer flounder. Recently, non-native blue catfish have become common in rivers like the James River and may spread to other parts of the bay. Menhaden, which are too oily for people to eat, are also fished commercially for use as bait, fish oil, and livestock feed.

The Chesapeake Bay is a major attraction for tourists visiting Maryland and Virginia each year. Activities like fishing, crabbing, swimming, boating, kayaking, and sailing are popular on the bay. Tourism has a large impact on Maryland’s economy. One report noted that Annapolis is a place where families enjoy water sports and boating.

The Chesapeake Bay is important to the economies and ecosystems of Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Activities like wildlife watching, boating, and ecotourism depend on the Clean Water Act, which controls pollution and supports programs to protect water quality. In 2006, about eight million people who watched wildlife spent $636 million, $960 million, and $1.4 billion in Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, according to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

Cuisine

During colonial times, people used basic cooking methods to prepare meals that could be made in one pot, such as ham and potato casserole, clam chowder, or stews made with ingredients like oysters, chicken, or venison. In 1608, when John Smith arrived in Chesapeake, he wrote that the fish were so plentiful, they tried to catch them using frying pans. Common ingredients in the local Chesapeake cuisine included terrapins, smoked hams, blue crab, shellfish, local fish, game meats, and different types of waterfowl. Blue crab remains a well-known and popular specialty in the region.

Environmental issues

European settlers who lived near the Chesapeake Bay in the late 1600s and early 1700s used farming methods that changed the land. Clearing forests and deeply plowing soil added more dirt and nutrients to the water, which increased as the area grew.

In the 1970s, scientists discovered one of the first known marine dead zones in the Chesapeake Bay. These areas had so little oxygen that fish and other sea life could not survive, leading to large numbers of fish dying. By 2010, dead zones were estimated to kill 75,000 tons of clams and worms each year, weakening the food chain and taking away a key food source for blue crabs. Crabs sometimes gather on shore to escape low-oxygen water, a behavior called a "crab jubilee." Low oxygen levels, or hypoxia, happen partly because of large algae growth. These algae are fed by waste from homes, farms, and industries in the watershed. A 2010 report pointed out that Amish farmers in Pennsylvania were not properly controlling manure from their cows. Farms in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, produce large amounts of manure that washes into rivers that flow into the bay.

Pollution in the bay comes from several sources, mainly the nutrients phosphorus and nitrogen. These nutrients help algae grow. While algae are alive, they block sunlight from reaching the bay floor. When algae die and decay, they use up oxygen in the water. Soil erosion and runoff from construction, pavement, and lack of plants also block sunlight. This has caused the loss of underwater plants like eelgrass, which once covered much of the southern bay. Since the 1970s, eelgrass beds have decreased by more than half. Overharvesting, pollution, sediment, and disease have turned parts of the bay into muddy areas with little life.

The main sources of nutrient pollution are runoff from farms and urban areas. About half of the nutrients come from manure and poultry waste. Lawn fertilizers and pollution from cars and power plants also add nutrients to the water.

Studies show that nutrient levels in the bay have increased since the 1600s and 1700s. Recently, sediments in the bay have 2 to 3 times more organic carbon and 4 to 20 times more nitrogen and phosphorus than before European settlers arrived.

When nutrients from land enter the water, they cause algae to grow rapidly. As algae sink and decay, they use oxygen, making the water low in oxygen. In spring and summer, the bay’s water layers separate, creating a barrier that stops oxygen from mixing into deeper water. This causes oxygen levels to drop to near zero by mid-June and can last until October. Some sea life can survive low oxygen, but important species like crabs, oysters, and plankton may die.

A harmful type of algae called Pfiesteria piscicida can harm fish and humans. In the late 1990s, large blooms of this algae killed many fish and caused rashes in swimmers. Nutrient runoff from chicken farms was linked to these blooms.

Sewage systems and treatment plants in the Chesapeake Bay region have sometimes polluted the bay. While treatment plants follow state and federal rules, heavy rain can cause sewage to overflow into the bay. In 2021, 11% of nitrogen and 15% of phosphorus in the bay came from sewage plants. In 2024, heavy rain caused 14 million gallons of sewage to overflow from the Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant in Baltimore. This pollution entered local waterways and the bay, with the amount of sewage usually released in a year being released in one day. The city has struggled to maintain the Back River plant, leading to leaks and spills.

The Patapsco and Back River plants in Maryland have caused growth of phragmite plants in cleaning tanks used to remove nitrogen and phosphorus from water. In 2021, the city completed the "Headworks Project" at the Back River plant, adding underground storage for wastewater to reduce overflows. The project cost $124 million. In 2025, Maryland awarded grants to improve Baltimore’s treatment plants and install a trash interceptor on the Back River.

Washington, D.C., like Baltimore and many older cities, has a combined sewer system. During heavy rain, the system can overflow, sending untreated sewage into rivers. To fix this, DC Water started the "Clean Rivers" project in 2013, building stormwater storage facilities. By 2025, parts of the system were operational. When the $2.99 billion project finishes in 2030, it is expected to reduce sewage overflows by 96%.

Oysters once thrived in the Chesapeake Bay, making it a major source of income. However, their population has dropped sharply in the last 50 years. In the 1980s, oysters could filter the entire bay in about 3.3 days, but by 1988, it took 325 days. The value of oyster harvests dropped 88% from 1982 to 2007. In 2008, oyster reefs covered only 36,000 acres, down from 200,000 acres in the past. Overharvesting is a major cause, as lax rules allow licensed individuals to take oysters from state-owned beds with little enforcement.

Underwater archaeology

In 1988, the Maryland Maritime Archeology Program (MMAP) was created to manage and study underwater archaeological sites. This happened because of the National Abandoned Shipwreck Act from 1987, which gave ownership of important shipwrecks to states that had proper management programs.

The Chesapeake Bay has been affected by natural forces like erosion, tides, and storms such as hurricanes. Human activities since the 17th century, including pollution, construction, and modern farming, have also harmed the bay. These challenges make it harder for the MMAP to find underwater archaeological sites. As sea levels rise and historical areas are buried by sediment, the MMAP uses tools like marine magnetometers (which detect iron or empty spaces), side-scan sonar (which finds objects on the seafloor), and global positioning systems to locate sites. These tools help identify man-made objects while keeping them intact. Once a site is found, Langley and her team follow strict steps to preserve it, allowing more detailed research. Shipwrecks and other materials have often been underwater for centuries, making them fragile. To protect them, the team takes photos, creates maps, and builds models. Susan Langley explains that even small pieces, like 10% of a ship’s hull, can help reconstruct the ship. Construction methods show how people built the vessels, artifacts reveal information about those who used the ships for trade, and eco-facts—such as seeds or insect remains in muddy areas—can tell about the climate when the ship sank. The MMAP shares its findings once a site is identified, but hides the exact locations to prevent looters from stealing artifacts.

More than 1,800 ship and boat wrecks lie on the bottom of the Chesapeake Bay and nearby waters. Many precolonial canoes and artifacts have been found in the bay, helping researchers learn more about Native American groups like the Powhatan, Pamunkey, and Nansemond. In 1974, scallop fishermen discovered a 22,000-year-old mastodon skull and a carved stone tool in the same area. Since the tool could not be carbon-dated, archaeologists compared it to similar tools from Europe called Solutrean tools, which were made 22,000 to 17,000 years ago. This suggested the tool was at least 14,000 years old. This finding challenges the idea that the Clovis people were the first to live in North America around 13,000 years ago. Some scientists disagree, saying the environment makes it hard to confirm the tool’s origin.

During the War of 1812, the Chesapeake Bay Flotilla was built using shallow barges and ships to fight British naval attacks. After several months of resistance, the British defeated the flotilla, burning and sinking many vessels. Since 1978, underwater archaeologists have recovered hundreds of artifacts from the wreckage, including weapons, personal items, and other objects. They have also created maps and models of the wreckage on the seafloor.

In October 1774, the British merchant ship Peggy Stewart arrived in Annapolis with tea hidden as linens to avoid conflict with colonists. The crew informed colonists about new taxes on the tea, which led to anger. After public meetings, colonists burned Peggy Stewart and its contents in an event called the "Annapolis Tea Party." This site is now important for underwater archaeologists. In 1949, the U.S. Navy sank a German submarine, U-1105, in the Potomac River near the Chesapeake Bay after testing it with explosives. This site is also studied by underwater archaeologists.

Maryland has led most underwater archaeology research in the Chesapeake Bay, but Virginia’s Department of Historic Resources has had a State Underwater Archaeologist since the 1970s. In 1982, John Broadwater, Virginia’s first State Underwater Archaeologist, led an expedition to study a sunken fleet of Revolutionary War-era ships. In September 1781, during the Revolutionary War, the British sank more than a dozen ships in the York River near the Chesapeake Bay to prevent them from falling into French and Spanish hands. One ship, the Betsy, has been studied more than any other, with over 5,000 relics recovered, including weapons, personal items, and metals. Broadwater and his team were featured in a National Geographic article for their work. Virginia now has funding to explore these sunken ships further, but some divers have been exploring the wreckage for "treasure" after the sites became public.

Publications

There are several magazines and publications that cover topics related to the Chesapeake Bay and life and tourism in the bay region:

• The Bay Journal covers environmental news for the Chesapeake Bay area.
• Bay Weekly is an independent newspaper that covers news about the Chesapeake Bay region.
• The Capital is a newspaper from Annapolis that reports news about the Western Shore of Maryland and the Annapolis area.
• Chesapeake Bay Magazine and PropTalk cover powerboating in the bay. SpinSheet covers sailing.
• What's Up Magazine is a free monthly publication that has special issues about Annapolis and the Eastern Shore.

Cultural depictions

• Beautiful Swimmers: Watermen, Crabs and the Chesapeake Bay (1976), a book that won a Pulitzer Prize, written by William W. Warner. It describes the Chesapeake Bay, blue crabs, and people who work in the water.
• Chesapeake (1978), a novel written by James A. Michener.
• Chesapeake Requiem: A Year with the Watermen of Vanishing Tangier Island (2018), a bestselling book by Earl Swift. It focuses on the crabbing community in the Chesapeake Bay.
• Dicey's Song (1983) and other books in Cynthia Voigt's Tillerman series are set in Crisfield, a town on the Chesapeake Bay. John Barth wrote two novels that include the Chesapeake Bay.
• Jacob Have I Loved (1980), by Katherine Paterson, won the 1981 Newbery Medal. It is a story about two sisters in a waterman family who grow up on an island in the bay.
• Patriot Games (1987), where the main character, Jack Ryan, lives on a fictional place called Peregrine Cliffs, which overlooks the Chesapeake Bay, and Without Remorse (1993), where the main character, John Kelly, lives on a boat and an island in the bay. Both books are written by Tom Clancy.
• Red Kayak (2004), by Priscilla Cummings, shows a conflict between people who crab and wealthy newcomers.
• Sabbatical: A Romance (1982) is a story about a yacht race through the bay, and The Tidewater Tales (1987) is a story about a married couple sharing stories as they cruise the bay. Both books are written by John Barth.
• The Oyster Wars of Chesapeake Bay (1997), by John Wennersten, describes the Oyster Wars that happened in the years after the Civil War.

• The Bay, a 2012 movie that uses a found footage style to tell an eco-horror story about a pandemic caused by pollution from chicken farms and dangerous sea creatures.
• Expedition Chesapeake, A Journey of Discovery, a 2019 film starring Jeff Corwin, created by The Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts.

• In Chesapeake Shores, the O'Brien family lives in a small town on the bay, near Baltimore.
• In MeatEater by Steven Rinella, Season 8, Episodes 3–4, titled "Ghosts of the Chesapeake," features the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay.

• Singer and songwriter Tom Wisner recorded several albums about the Chesapeake Bay. The Boston Globe said Wisner "always tried to show the sounds of the water, sky, rocks, trees, fish, and birds, and the gods of nature he believed still watched over it all." He was called the "Bard of the Chesapeake Bay."
• The Atlanta-based band Starbuck mentioned the Chesapeake Bay in their first song, "Moonlight Feels Right," which reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1976.
• The Chesapeake Bay is mentioned in the musical Hamilton, in the song "Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down)." It describes the Battle of Yorktown, the last battle of the Revolutionary War. When talking about the US army's plan, Hamilton sings: "When we finally drive the British away, Lafayette is there waiting in Chesapeake Bay!"