Where's the SAV in the Potomac?

Type: Tidal
Region: Southern
Location: Potomac River

I went bowfishing on Monday the 27th of May on the Potomac River. I was able to get several snakehead fish including a couple tagged ones. There does not seem to be much SAV this year and as a result most creeks remain muddy. I wonder if it is late in growing or will it grow at all this year.

DNR Response: Most of the SAV in the Potomac are tuber-forming perennials, so they return reliably to the same spots year after year. It's likely that the relatively cool spring resulted in later than normal emergence of SAV from the sediment, which combined with the muddy water could slow growth. May/June is when the Potomac grasses typically reach full canopy, so I would expect to see rapidly increasing coverage of SAV over the next month.