IV-497 



characterized by heterogeneous patches of chemicals, fertilized 

 waters, waters low in available oxygen, turbidities, acids and other 

 conditions alien to normal life of estuarine ecosystems. The 

 multiple stressed situation is possibly the Nation's most urgent 

 estuarine problem because the condition is a mixture and the causes 

 several. The stress of many different kinds of wastes may be more 

 difficult for an ecosystem to adapt to than separate types of wastes 

 acting alone. The continual fluctuations require more kinds of 

 adaptation than there may be food energies to support. Some bays 

 receiving mixed wastes which are primarily nutrient of non-toxic 

 nature may develop extremely high metabolic rates and high rates of 

 photosynthetic production. Such bays are almost micro-organism 

 cultures, but have active larger animal populations too. Poten- 

 tially such fertile waters are a food producing resource, although 

 we know relatively little about the conditions for management of 

 these mixtures which will channel energies into products of use to 

 man, effectively mineralize the wastes, and stabilize the ecosystem. 



Areas already noted as exhibiting these characteristics are, not 

 surprisingly, those systems associated with concentrations of popu- 

 lation and economic activity such as Boston Harbor, New York Harbor, 

 Raritan Bay, portions of Chesapeake Bay, Tampa Bay, Galveston Bay 

 and San Francisco Bay. 



