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The overall grade of the 2025 State of the James has improved to a B with a score of 68% from its failing health decades ago. Although the pace of progress has slowed, a grade-A James River is possible if we keep up our collective efforts and continue to address key issues together. However, the 2023 American shad stock assessment by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science found that populations of American shad in the James are at an all-time low. Given the dire situation, JRA fought for funding to develop an emergency recovery plan that identified immediate actions that could be taken to improve the American shad fishery in the James River. This plan will be delivered to Virginia Legislators in the fall of 2023 with more actions to follow, but it will take a long-term and sustained effort to bring American shad in the James River back from the brink of collapse.
Advocacy News
Richmond City Council’s Consensus Budget Supports a Healthy and Accessible River
After numerous budget review and work sessions that began following the presentation of Mayor Stoney’s proposed budget last month, Richmond’s City Council reached a consensus on the FY 2020 budget Monday afternoon. The good news is the budget...
WIP 101: The Phase III WIP — Virginia’s Endgame for Cleaning Up the Bay
Earlier this month, Virginia became the first state to hammer out a draft of how we’ll meet our Bay Cleanup goals by 2025. It’s called the Phase III Watershed Implementation Plan, a.k.a. the WIP, and it’s peppered with strategies to reduce pollution and...
