Based in Cobb Island, Maryland, Paul Charles Tobola serves as regional vice president with OpenText and manages an extensive product line. Among Paul Charles Tobola’s passions is boating, and he has explored the Chesapeake Bay extensively.

The Chesapeake Bay watershed offers a habitat for a diverse number of aquatic species, including fish that are freshwater, saltwater, and anadromous (both). Most saltwater species migrate seasonally to the bay, while a few live year round in the estuary. Among the abundant saltwater fish are speckled trout, flounder, and blackfin tuna. Perhaps the most popular fish for local anglers, the striped bass (known regionally as rockfish) features a large, gaping mouth and bright stripes, and is a tough fighter on the line.

Freshwater species that inhabit Chesapeake Bay river mouths and tributaries include white perch, blue catfish, and largemouth and smallmouth bass. Anadromous fish include river herring and Atlantic sturgeon, as well as the hickory and American shad. The latter species inhabits coastal ocean waters much of the time, returning to freshwater streams and rivers for spawning. There is a tree that grows in the region named in its honor, with the shadbush blooming at the same time in spring when shad make their migratory run to fresh water.