By Frank Csulak, Office of Response and Restoration
The ocean side of Virginia’s Eastern Shore extends from Assateague Island at the Maryland border to Fisherman’s Island at the foot of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. It is comprised of 23 dynamic islands, made up of sand, wetlands, and lagoons, and is one of the largest undeveloped stretches of shoreline along the East Coast. The Virginia Barrier Islands are remote, ecologically valuable, and highly sensitive to oil spills.