Scientists say bay grasses expanding NORFOLK, VA (wesm) - (AP) Scientists say the amount of underwater grasses in the Chesapeake Bay increased by about 18 percent last year.

The 16 species of underwater vegetation in the Chesapeake provide a key indicator of the bay's environmental health.

Scientists estimate that grass beds increased to 76,861 acres in 2008, up from 64,917 acres in 2007. That's the fourth largest total acreage since researchers from Virginia, Maryland and the federal government began counting in 1984.

Bob Orth, an aquatic plants specialist at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, attributed the increase to the continued expansion of the Susquehanna Flats in the upper bay. He said eel grasses in the lower bay also continued to recover from a massive die-off in 2005. © Copyright 2009, wesm