Last month, I wrote about how important the nursery areas are to the future of our fisheries. Now I would like to go into a little more detail. I feel blessed that I have literally spent my entire life on the water enjoying all aspects of it.  I am not concerned about myself, but I am concerned about the protection of our water-based habitat areas for our children, grandchildren and future generations.   

Disappearing Act

Valuable estuarine nurseries are vanishing at an alarming rate, and I believe the long term consequences of losing them will be devastating. Many marine species depend on these estuarine nursery areas for protection and as a food source as they mature. We are working against them, destroying juvenile marine life before they can reach maturity and have a chance to reproduce.

Coastal development is dredging, filling, and building sea walls in wetlands and marshes, replacing critical nursery habitat populated by seagrasses and other plant life. These wetland plants filter out nitrogen and other pollutants, and stabilize the silt to keep the water clear. This satellite photo of the Atchafalaya Delta, Louisiana shows how human activities such as dredging wetlands for canals or draining and filling for agriculture, grazing, or development has reduced marsh habitat. Louisiana's wetlands today represent about 40 percent of the wetlands of the continental United States, but about 80 percent of the losses (Source: USGS Fact Sheet)

Algae as Predator

Excess nitrogen from fertilizers, emissions from tailpipes and smokestacks, and inadequately treated sewage are pouring into our waters, providing a constant supply of nutrients.  This suits algae just fine, for they have adapted to take advantage of these nutrients efficiently.

The increase in algae clouds the water, blocks the sunlight and causes the death of seaweeds and grasses that produce oxygen. These algae produce oxygen during the day.  As the sun sets, they begin to consume dissolved oxygen so that when daylight returns they’ve depleted their oxygen supply. When the dissolved oxygen goes, so does life.  Algae die and decay rapidly in the darkness without oxygen, and this decomposition produces toxic hydrogen sulfide.

In environments like this fish and other marine life must evacuate or die, despite juveniles’ traditional dependence on these areas for protection and food. Oysters and other shell fish do not have the ability to move and are destine to perish. The area becomes a dead zone. The largest dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico is a result of nutrient pollution from the Mississippi River and extends from the coast of Louisiana to Texas. This is an underwater area larger than the state of Massachusetts and this oxygen deprived area is now void of animal life.

In a different but related problem, some of the blooming algae contain potent poisons. Harmful algal blooms commonly called “red tides” are increasing around the world. These toxic algae can kill birds, fish and mammals. In 2005, eighty-eight manatees died from neurological and respiratory damage on the west coast of Florida after breathing the concentrated red tide fumes at the water’s surface.  This photo shows a red tide off the coast of La Jolla, California (Red Tide, Wikipedia)

When there is a red tide outbreak, coastal communities see a noticeable increase in emergency room visits requesting treatment for coughs and other cold-like symptoms.

The Big Five

According to Waterkeeper Magazine, the following are the main culprits of nutrient pollution of our waterways:

·        Agriculture - Irresponsible agricultural practices - allowing waste and fertilizers to run off fields and into surrounding waterways - are the largest source of nutrient pollution, nation wide.

·        Human Waste - Wastewater from sewage treatment plants and septic tanks are another major source of nutrient pollution. Sewage treatment systems are mainly designed to disinfect waste, that is, to kill human pathogens. Nitrogen and phosphorous in waste water pass through most treatment plants and are discharged directly into our waterways.

·        Urban Runoff - Storm water picks up fertilizers, animal and yard waste, detergents, sewage from leaky sewer systems, household chemicals and other nutrient pollution as it flows over yards, rooftops and streets. In most cases this runoff flows into storm water pipes and directly into streams and other waterways.

·        Air Emissions - Nitrogen from air emissions is a significant source of nutrient pollution in water. Most of this nitrogen comes from vehicle emissions, power plant and other industrial facilities burning fossil fuels, and factory farms.

·        Industrial Waste - Slaughterhouses, breweries, agriculture processing facilities and other factories release nutrients in their wastewater. These facilities are required to have a permit to discharge waste into our waterways.

With more than half of the U.S. population living in coastal counties, it is obvious that we love the coastal waters and all that they offer.  Are we loving our coasts to death? Are the people in the coastal communities unaware of what is happening, or do they not care? Tom Horton, an environmental Journalist, has said, “Public support often seems like the estuary itself, impressively broad but deceptively shallow.”

If you want to get involved and protect our waters for future generations, you need to start now by joining and supporting conservation organizations that focus on protecting our waters. The following are two organizations that fit that description:

Waterkeeper Alliance www.WATERKEEPER.org

American Littoral Society www.littoralsociety.org

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