from: Meeting Our Coastal Challenges - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Coastal - Estuary Resources At Risk - Chehalis River Council

Resources At Risk

Our coastal lands, estuaries and wetlands are under continued assault - from rapidly increasing population pressures, pollution, oil and chemical spills, and rapidly accelerating development.

A major factor contributing to the decline of coastal ecosystems is the sheer increase of our population. At present over one-third of the U.S. population resides within the narrow zone of coastal counties, supporting densities four times the national average. By the year 2010, as much as 75% of our population may live within 50 miles of a coast.

Between 1970 and 1989 the narrow zone occupied by coastal counties absorbed about 47% of the permitted construction of new housing units and about 40% of the permitted commercial and industrial developments.

"Everything flows down hill" certainly applies to coastal watersheds and estuaries. About 80% of all coastal pollution comes from terrestrial sources in the adjoining watersheds. increasing numbers of waterfront homes, marinas, shopping centers, industrial developments, and intensive agricultural activities, destroy important habitats and produce vast volumes of sediments, unmetabolized nutrients and noxious chemicals that flow downstream into coastal waterways, estuaries, coastal bays and fringing wetlands. Each year over 7 billion pounds of toxic and noxious substances are released into the environment polluting our land, air and waters. Most of these releases flow into coastal areas severely impairing 35% of the Nation's estuaries and coastlines and threatening another 10% with imminent impairment.

The terrestrial habitats adjoining coastal watersheds and estuaries are also being directly destroyed by expanding developments. In fact, according to the National Academy of Sciences, inadequately managed growth and development remain the principal causes of water qualitydegradation and endangerment of fish and wildlife in the coastal zone.

Between 1955 and 1975, annual losses of U.S. estuarine wetlands amounted to approximately 70,000 acres.
Over 75% of the Pacific coastal wetlands and 70% of the wetlands around the Great Lakes have been eliminated as a result of agricultural development and urbanization.

As a consequence of these activities, coastal ecosystems are being rapidly destroyed and degraded; food webs and water supplies are being poisoned and, in many cases, precious freshwater inflows to estuaries are being diverted or over drawn.

Fish and shellfish harvests continue to decline in almost every coastal region.
Shellfish harvest closures are becoming commonplace on the northeast, southeast, northwest, and Gulf coasts.
Over the last 100 years, oyster landings in Chesapeake and Delaware Bays have declined by more than 90%.
Salmon and steelhead runs on the Pacific coast are in severe decline as a result of lost spawning habitats from poor watershed management, poorly planned timber operations, blockage from dams, and excessive water withdrawals.
In the Great Lakes, fish populations continue to be threatened by severe chemical contamination, habitat destruction, overharvest, and predation by the introduced sea lamprey
In the Gulf of Mexico, coastal wetlands continue to be lost at the staggering rate of over 32,000 acres per year as a result of changes in the upstream watersheds, increased erosion, and other human alterations.

These are the enormous challenges we face in protecting and restoring our coastal areas. >
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