292 



must be made on a general basis. This diotaJtes that study results should 

 be recognized as being relative in nature and utilized to gain an insight 

 into problem areas. Figures quoted in the remaining portions of this 

 narrative represent rounded data. 



The 1960-64 average annual commercial fishery harvest from the 

 study area included 288,740,000 pounds of finfish and 107,584,000 

 pounds of shellfish for a total of 396,324,000 pounds. 



Wetlands wildlife habitat occupied approximately 614,000 acres of 

 the study area in the mid-1950's. Since that time, losses resulting from 

 drainage, land fill, highway construction, and similar developments 

 have reduced wetland habitat to a current area of about 558,000 acres 

 or less. Wetland loss is thus 56,000 acres. 



Pollution affects approximately 432,000 acres of finfish habitat and 

 42,000 acres of shellfish grounds for a total of 463,000 surfaces acres 

 (adjusted for overlap), or about 14 percent of the study area's fish 

 habitat. 



Average annual losses from significant pollution effects on 101,000 

 acres of finfish habitat and 42,000 acres of shellfish habitat amount to 

 $1,861,000 and $1,090,000, respectively, or a total fishery loss of $2,951,- 

 000. No losses were assigned to 331,000 acres of negligibly polluted fin- 

 fish habitat. Projected demand for both sport and commercial fishery 

 harvest presently, or in the near future, will exceed the average annual 

 sustained harvest capability from most individual habitat classes under 

 existing pollution levels. 



Table 23 of the report (table IV. 6.1) shown on the next page, gives 

 the loss broken down by drainage basins. Finfish resource plus shell- 

 fish resources equals fishery resource. 



TABLE IV.6.1.— SUMMARY OF POLLUTED FISH HABITAT CHESAPEAKE BAY AREA AND TRIBUTARIES (EXCEPT 



SUSQUEHANNA RIVER BASINS) 



FINFISH RESOURCES! 

 Pollution effects (acres) Total Average annual loss 



Mod- Per- Per- 



Negllgible Light erate Intense Severe Acres cent Dollars cent 



Chesapeake Bay Area... 51 4,578 427 17,905 4 22,965 5.3 687,971 37.0 



James River Basin 87,047 24,976 19,385 1,541 73 133,022 30.8 768,927 41.3 



Rappahannock-York 



River Basins 



Potomac River Basin 



Total study area. 

 Percent 76.6 13.7 5.0 4.6 .1 100 



Shellfish resources Fishery resources 



Closed areas Average annual loss Polluted habitat Average annual loss 



Per- Per- Per- Per- 



Acres cent Dollars cent Acres i cent Dollars cent 



Chesapeake Bay area 



James River Basin 



Rappahannock- York River 



Basins 



Potomac River Basin 



Total study area 42,255 100.0 1,089,981 100.0 462,521 100.0 2,950,718 100.0 



> Area not cumulative owing to overlap. 



