Mallows Bay in Charles County, MD, is the final resting place of nearly 200 wooden steamships built for World War I and then scuttled in the Potomac River before they ever saw action. In 2014, Mallows Bay was nominated for National Marine Sanctuary status to help conserve nationally-significant shipwrecks and related maritime heritage resources in Maryland. If it goes through, it would be the first National Marine Sanctuary in the Chesapeake Bay.
NOAA's Proposal
In October 2015, NOAA announced its intent to designate Mallows Bay a marine sanctuary, an announcement that was met with an enthusiastic response. But when NOAA released its draft plan in January, there were some who were not so enthusiastic. NOAA's preferred plan is to designate a 52-square mile area of the Potomac, extending well beyond Mallows Bay. Click to
sanctuaries.noaa.gov/mallows-bay to view maps for the other NOAA options.
NOAA requested public feedback on four options, the first being the preferred plan above. The second is a smaller 18-mile sanctuary, more narrowly focused on Mallows Bay. The third is a much larger sanctuary, covering 100 square miles of the river. And the final option would be to do nothing. Most of the public comments favored the largest possible sanctuary, while some local watermen fear that a larger sanctuary will impinge on fishing grounds.
No decision has yet been made. Stay tuned for updates.