13 



WHY ARE WETLANDS 

 IMPORTANT? 



Although often used by many people for hunting, trap- 

 ping and fishing, wetlands were largely considered 

 wastelands whose best use could only be attained through 

 "reclamation projects." such as drainage for agriculture 

 and tilling for industrial or residential development. 

 Much to the contrary, wetlands in their natural state pro- 

 vide a wealth of values to society (Table 1). Wetland 

 benefits can be divided into three basic categories: ( 1 ) fish 

 and wildlife values, (2) environmental quality values and 

 (3) socio-economic values. The following discussion em- 

 phasizes the more important values. For an indepth ex- 

 amination of wetland value, the reader is referred to 

 "Wetland Functions and Values: The State of Our Under- 

 standing" (Greeson, et al. 1979). In addition, the Service 

 has created a wetland values database which records ab- 

 stracts of over 2000 articles (Stuber 1983). 



Table 1. List of major wetland values. 



FISH AND WILDLIFE VALUES 



• Fish and Shellfish Habitat 



• Waterfowl and Other Bird Habitat 



• Furbearer and Other Wildlife Habitat 



ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY VALUES 



• Water Quality Maintenance 



• Pollution Filter 



• Sediment Removal 



• Oxygen Production 



• Nutrient Recycling 



• Chemical and Nutrient Absorption 



• Aquatic Productivity 



• Microclimate Regulator 



• World Climate (Ozone layer) 



SOCIO-ECONOMIC VALUES 



• Flood Control 



• Wave Damage Protection 



• Erosion Control 



• Groundwater Recharge and Water Supply 



• Timber and Other Natural Products 



• Energy Source (Peat) 



• Livestock Grazing 



• Fishing and Shellfishing 



• Hunting and Trapping 



• Recreation 



• Aesthetics 



• Education and Scientific Research 



Fish and Wildlife Values 



The variety of wetlands across the country create habi- 

 tats for many forms of fish and wildlife. Some animals 

 spend their entire lives in wetlands, while others use 

 wetlands primarily for reproduction and nursery grounds. 

 Numerous fish and wildlife frequent marshes and swamps 

 for feeding or feed on organisms produced in wetlands, 

 whereas many animals visit wetlands for drinking water. 

 Wetlands are also crucial for survival of numerous endan- 

 gered animals. 



Fish and Shellfish Habitat 



Both inland and coastal wetlands are essential to main- 

 taining important fish populations. Estuarine wetlands 

 are also important producers of shrimp, crabs, oysters 

 and clams for man's consumption. 



Approximately two-thirds of the major U.S. commer- 

 cial fishes depend on estuaries and salt marshes for nurs- 

 ery or spawning grounds (McHugh 1966). Among the 

 more familiar wetland-dependent fishes are menhaden, 

 bluefish, fluke, sea trout, spot, mullet, croaker, striped 

 bass, and drum. Coastal marshes along the Atlantic and 

 Gulf coasts are most important in this regard. In the 

 Pacific Northwest, coastal wetlands along spawning 

 streams are vital to many salmon species (Merrell and 

 Koski 1979). 



Coastal wetlands are also essential for important shell- 

 fish like shrimp, blue crabs, oysters and clams. These 

 areas serve as the primary nursery grounds for penaeid 

 shrimp, whose young grow rapidly and reach adulthood 

 here. Scientific studies have recently demonstrated a di- 

 rect correlation between the amount of coastal marsh and 

 shrimp production (Turner 1977). 



Freshwater fishes also find wetlands important for sur- 

 vival. In fact, most freshwater fishes can be considered 

 wetland-dependent because: (I) many species feed in 

 wetlands or upon wetland-produced food, (2) many fishes 

 use wetlands as nursery grounds and (3) almost all impor- 

 tant recreational fishes spawn in the aquatic portions of 

 wetlands (Peters, et al. 1979). Marshes along Lake 

 Michigan, for example, are spawning grounds for north- 

 em pike, yellow perch, carp, smallmouth bass, large- 

 mouth bass, bluegill. bullhead and other fishes, including 

 minnows (Jaworski and Raphael 1978). Prized gamefish 

 — muskies and walleyes — may spawn in flooded 

 marshes as well as feed there. Bottomland hardwood 

 forests of the South serve as nursery and feeding grounds 

 for young warmouth and largemouth bass, while adult 



