Scientists from NOAA's Chesapeake Bay Office investigate whether fish are using restored areas at Maryland's Poplar Island. Back in the mid-1800s, Poplar Island was more than 1,000 acres. In the early 1900s, it was home to a community of about 100 people. But it gradually fell victim to severe erosion, and by the early 1990s, the island had shrunk to only 4 acres. Rebuilding Poplar Island is a massive construction project, under way since the mid-1990s. The project, still in progress, uses material dredged from the shipping channels into Baltimore Harbor to restore lost island habitat. As the project progresses, new “cells” are created to receive the dredged material. Each cell is created to include features like creeks, high marsh, low marsh, and upland areas, in order to provide healthy habitat for Bay species. As we face a changing climate, restored habitat such as this becomes even more important to support healthy fish populations. Learn about NOAA Fisheries monitoring efforts on Poplar Island: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/does-rebuilding-island-rebuild-fish-habitat Link in bio. #ClimateScience 📸 Photo 1: Scientists retrieve fish caught in a fyke net near Poplar Island to record species, number, and lengths. Photo: NOAA Fisheries/NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office 📸 Photo 2: The Poplar Island project plans to restore the island to roughly its 1847 footprint. Photo: Maryland Environmental Service #ClimateScience #fish #habitat #restoration #erosion