The Chesapeake Bay is North Americas largest and most biologically diverse estuary, home to more than 3,600 species of plants, fish and animals. For more than 300 years, the Bay and its tributaries have sustained the regions economy and defined its traditions and culture. It is a resource of extraordinary productivity, worthy of the highest levels of protection and restoration. The CBPs Living Resources Subcommittee is committed to the restoration, enhancement, protection and management of the living resources of the Chesapeake Bay. Living resources include fish, invertebrates, waterbirds, as well as submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), wetlands, and other shoreline and riverine systems that are important to water quality and fish and wildlife habitats. In cooperation with Bay Program partners, the LRSc supports the restoration of streams, wetlands, SAV and aquatic reefs, and the removal of dams and stream blockages to support fish passage. The subcommittee also guides the development of Chesapeake Bay-specific fishery management plans. Its biological monitoring and ecosystem modeling programs contribute significantly to the understanding of the Chesapeake Bays living resources and their interrelationships with one another, the land and water.