Tangier Sound is a

sound In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the br ...

of the

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...

bounded on the west by Tangier Island in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, and Smith Island and South Marsh Island in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, by Deal Island in

on the north, and the mainland of the

Eastern Shore of Maryland The Eastern Shore of Maryland is a part of the U.S. state of Maryland that lies mostly on the east side of the Chesapeake Bay. Nine counties are normally included in the region. The Eastern Shore is part of the larger Delmarva Peninsula that Ma ...

and Pocomoke Sound on the east. It stretches into

as far south as Watts Island. The Manokin, Big Annemessex, and Little Annemessex Rivers all flow into Tangier Sound from

Somerset County, Maryland Somerset County is the southernmost county in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 24,620, making it the second-least populous county in Maryland. The county seat is Princess Anne. The county is p ...

. Crisfield, Maryland, located on Tangier Sound, is a center of the shellfish industry. Smith Island, Tangier Island and Deal Island also remain centers of the Chesapeake Bay seafood industry and outposts of Chesapeake culture and history. As in other parts of Chesapeake Bay, the seafood industry on Tangier Sound has declined markedly due to

pollution Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause harm. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, the component ...

, mismanagement and the growth of

recreational fishing Recreational fishing, also called sport fishing or game fishing, is fishing for leisure, exercise or competition. It can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is occupational fishing activities done for profit; or subsistence fishing, ...

. However, the wild oyster industry has seen a strong reemergence in recent years due to shell planting and caretaking methods performed by Chesapeake watermen. Tangier Sound is considered by many to possess the best

oysters Oyster is the common name for a number of different families of Seawater, salt-water bivalve molluscs that live in Marine (ocean), marine or Brackish water, brackish habitats. In some species, the valves are highly Calcification, calcified, a ...

and soft crabs in the world. The Tangier Sound wild fishery is an

artisanal An artisan (from , ) is a skilled craft worker who makes or creates material objects partly or entirely by hand. These objects may be functional or strictly decorative, for example furniture, decorative art, sculpture, clothing, food ite ...

fishery and source of iconic seafood. Several Maryland wildlife management areas border Tangier Sound: South Marsh Island, Deal Island, Fairmount, and Cedar Island areas.

References

{{Authority control Chesapeake Bay watershed Bodies of water of Somerset County, Maryland Bodies of water of Accomack County, Virginia Bodies of water of Maryland Bodies of water of Virginia Sounds of the United States

See also

References