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HYDROLOGIC UNIT DESCRIPTIONS 89 



Mississippi Sound (I) 89 



Pontchartrain (II) 94 



Mississippi River Delta (III) 103 



Barataria (IV) 104 



Terrebonne (V) 129 



Atchafalaya (VI) 133 



Vermilion (VII) 144 



ECOLOGICAL ISSUES 149 



Factors Affecting Aquatic Primary 



Productivity 149 



Wetlands and the Estuarine Carbon Budget 149 



Role of the Marsh-Estuary in Fisheries 



Production 150 



MANAGEMENT IS SUE S 151 



Wetland Loss 151 



Eutrophication 154 



Toxins 157 



Salt Water Intrusion 158 



MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS 160 



Cumulative Impacts: Direct and Indirect 161 



Economic-Ecologic Costs 161 



SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MDPR MANAGEMENT 163 



Wetland Loss 163 



Eutrophication 168 



Salt Water Intrusion 169 



Toxic Substances 169 



REFERENCES 172 



