IV-156 



wonder that most of the major cities of the United States are posi- 

 tioned on a natural estuarine harbor. 



As the population grew, the relative importance of the fishery pro- 

 gressively declined as economic growth in other Industries out- 

 stripped the demand for seafood as a staple diet item. The growth 

 of industrial and population centers in the estuarine zone closely 

 paralleled the growth of the rest of the Nation, with the estuarine 

 zone becoming relatively more important in international commerce 

 and less important in agricultural food production than the interior 

 of the country. 



URBAN AND AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT 



Table IV. 3.1 shows present population and agricultural development 

 in the estuarine zone.* This table illustrates very clearly the 

 existence of several distinct environments in the estuarine zone. 

 Population and agricultural data exist in political subdivision 

 groupings, while the Standard Metropolitan Statistical Areas (SMSA) 

 cross State and county boundaries to present unified economic groupings. 

 It happens that the classification by biophysical regions cuts across 

 the boundaries of some political subdivisions, but is compatible with 

 the SMSA economic units. 



The differences in boundaries of these environments is one of the key 

 problems with which estuarine zone management must deal ; in the 



*In this, as in many other tables requiring nationwide socioeconomic 

 statistics, 1960 is the last year for which consistent data are 

 available to support regional comparisons. 



