assessment and project plan- 

 ning, and conducting an eco- 

 logical inventory of coastal 

 resources . 



We administer part of the Anad- 

 romous Fish Development Program 

 and the Federal Aid to Fish and 

 Wildlife Restoration Programs 

 that provide funding for state 

 conservation agencies. Many of 

 these projects are in coastal 

 areas . 



We review and comment on coast- 

 al zone management plans devel- 

 oped by states under the Coastal 

 Zone Management Act. 



With stable budgets and person- 

 nel limitations to accomplish the 

 work in these inflationary times, the 

 FWS recently went through an evalua- 

 tion to identify resource priorities. 

 The FWS concern for the coastal zone 

 of the United States came out clear- 

 ly. As a result of this effort, we 

 are shifting people and funds to ad- 

 dress these problem areas. Of the 

 70 nationally Important Resource 

 Problems in 1980, the highest five 

 involved estuarine ecosystems and 

 more than half involved coastal 

 areas. These will be updated peri- 

 odically to address new problems 

 as they arise. 



The most productive areas in 

 the coastal zone for fish and wild- 

 life are estuaries which depend 

 upon freshwater inflow for their 

 existence. We are deeply concerned 

 when development projects on rivers 

 reduce the volume of freshwater in- 

 flow, alter seasonal inflows, or 

 change sediment or nutrient con- 

 tent. We are concerned when navi- 

 gation and flood control projects 

 prevent the natural distribution 

 of fresh water and sediment into 



estuarine systems. The dumping of 

 contaminants and sewage into estu- 

 aries through river pollution or 

 through industrial and urban devel- 

 opments and non-point pollution 

 from agriculture located directly 

 on estuaries has magnified the de- 

 terioration of estuarine habitats. 



The fact that our most produc- 

 tive coastal fish and wildlife hab- 

 itats--estuaries--also attract people 

 and industry intensifies our problem 

 of protecting and preserving them. 

 Many of our largest metropolitan 

 areas--Boston, New York, Baltimore, 

 Washington D.C., New Orleans, Hous- 

 ton, San Francisco, and Seattle-- 

 were located on estuaries because of 

 their natural harbors and because 

 they are attractive places to live 

 near and develop. 



I will concentrate my remarks 

 on examples of some estuarine areas 

 where critical freshwater inflow 

 quality or quantity problems have 

 developed. I will begin with the 

 New York area and will discuss prob- 

 lems geographically around our coast 

 to San Francisco Bay. 



The Raritan Bay in the lower 

 Hudson River estuary system is lo- 

 cated in the New York metropolitan 

 area. This system receives polluted 

 freshwater inflow from the Raritan, 

 Passaic and Hudson Rivers. This em- 

 bayment is considered the most heav- 

 ily polluted estuary in the North- 

 eastern United States, and its prob- 

 lems were recognized over a cen- 

 tury ago. By 1880, commercial har- 

 vesting of oysters and clams was pro- 

 hibited because the shellfish were 

 contaminated. This immense problem 

 must be solved by reducing nutrient 

 inputs, industrial wastes, and domes- 

 tic sewage. Marsh restoration must 

 also be emphasized. If Raritan Bay 

 is ever to produce the food and 



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