11-31 



associated with civilization wherever it exists; in the estuarine 

 zone they may have different values, different emohasis, or different 

 impact on the biophysical environment. 



The great unique use of the estuarine zone, which makes it of pri- 

 mary importance to man and his civilization, is its nlace in the 

 life cycle of many animals v/hich aid in converting solar energy into 

 more usable forms. While no life form can be singled out as irrepla- 

 ceable, the kinds of life which need the estuarine zone to survive 

 represent essential links in the energy conversion chain unon which 

 man depends for survival. Many of the human uses of the estuarine 

 zone depend directly or indirectly on the existence of the estuarine 

 zone as a healthy habitat. 



Fishing 



The important fish species are those sought by either the sports 

 fisherman or the commercial fisherman. Practically all of the 

 sports fish species are dependent upon the estuarine zone for one 

 or more phases of their life development, and aDnroximately 65 

 percent of all commercial fish species are estuarine-dependent. 



In 1967 United States fishermen received $438 million dollars for 

 approximately 4.06 billion pounds of commercial fish and shellfish. 

 It has been estimated that two-thirds of the total value, or 

 approximately $300 million dollars, can be considered for estuarine- 

 dependent species. This is a conservative estimate of the direct 



