Assawoman Bay

{{Short description|Lagoon near Ocean City, Maryland, US}}

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| name = Assawoman Bay

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| image = Rt 90 Bridge.jpg

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| caption = The Assawoman Bay with the Assawoman Bay Bridge crossing it. Ocean City and the Atlantic Ocean can be seen in the background.

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| coords = {{Coord|38|25|N|75|05|W|region:US-MD_type:waterbody|display=inline,title}}

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{{More sources needed|date=November 2024}}

Assawoman Bay ({{IPAc-en|local|ˈ|æ|s|ə|w|ʊ|m|ən}}), once called Assawoman Sound,{{Cite book |last=Dunlap |first=Arthur Ray |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Indian_Place_names_in_Delaware/xf8MAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=assawoman%20sound&dq=assawoman%20sound&printsec=frontcover |title=Indian Place-names in Delaware |last2=Weslager |first2=Clinton Alfred |date=1950 |publisher=Archaeological Society of Delaware |pages=11, 12, 57 |language=en}} is a lagoon that is located between Ocean City, Maryland and mainland Delmarva. The bay is located on the northern end of the city, and the bay on the southern end is called the Isle of Wight Bay.{{Cite book |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Geological_Survey_Bulletin/t6F17JLBZ50C?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=assawoman%20bay&pg=RA2-PA10&printsec=frontcover |title=Geological Survey Bulletin |date=1967 |publisher=U.S. Department of the Interior, Geological Survey; Washington, D.C. |pages=10 |language=en}} The name "Assawoman Bay" comes from the Algonquian meaning "midway fishing stream".

Another bay called Little Assawoman Bay extends into southern Delaware, and is geologically separated from the main estuaries, by a narrow strait locally referred to as "The Ditch" which crosses the Transpeninsular Line. The larger bay is sometimes called "Big Assawoman Bay", to distinguish it from the smaller bay, though this is often meant to be a tongue-in-cheek rendering of the name.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}

The health of the bay is impacted by urban development of the surrounding watershed, in Delaware and Ocean City.{{Cite web |title=Assawoman Bay |url=https://mdcoastalbays.org/the-coastal-bays/assawoman-bay/ |access-date=2024-11-09 |website=Maryland Coastal Bays Program |language=en-US}} The bay is known for its recreational activities, notably for anglers.{{Cite web |title=Assawoman Bay |url=https://fishandhuntmaryland.com/articles/assawoman-bay |access-date=2024-11-09 |website=VisitMaryland.org |language=en}}