438 



Though, perhaps, not as aesthetically pleasing as sandy shores or high bluffs, 

 tidal marshes are nonetheless extremely valuable. Because of their high plant 

 productivity, they supply a great deal of nutrient material to the main streams 

 as their annual cycles of growth, death and decay continue endlessly. Many tidal 

 flats produce as much converted energy per acre as farm land of highest pro- 

 ductivity and they do it without any effort by man. Tidal marshes are important 

 "respiration areas" and play significant roles in the overall circulation and energy 

 balance of our estuaries. Salt marshes now serve as nursery areas for many 

 species of fishes, crabs and other marine animals. In short, salt and estuarine 

 marshes are extremely important to the marine environment and the welfare 

 of marine organisms. Marshes also support shore and wetland birds and mam- 

 mals. Hunters derive great enjoyment and spend $603,000 each year to hunt in 

 Virginia's tidal lowlands. 



Shorelines are being occupied at increasing rate by private property owners, 

 resort owners, communities and industries. The era of untrammeled beaches is 

 rapidly ending. Marshes are being drained and filled at an increasing rate. 

 Virginia must be careful that wetland destruction does not destroy the useful 

 and aesthetic attributes of our marine areas. Public beaches must be provided 

 and "virgin" wetlands must be set aside. 



Bottoms from the low water line out are obviously as extensive in area as the 

 waters they 'underlie. Virginia's marine bottoms are valuable, containing many 

 valuable natural attributes and resources. The nearer the surface of the water 

 they lie the more valuable they are. within limits. Natural growth and culture 

 of valuable shellfish, such as oysters, hard clams and soft clams, makes many 

 acres of bottoms extremely valuable. Those not preserved to the public, i.e., 

 outside the Baylor Survey boundaries, are much sought after by private planters 

 as oyster leases from the Commonwealth. Under lease they are nurtured, bartered 

 and passed on as valuable land properties. Indeed, crops produced on these lands 

 by oyster farmers can bring more money per acre than the best farm land. 

 Properly managed, even with information now at hand, those grounds in public 

 care can be just as productive. Perhaps the most productive oyster grounds in 

 the world are those of the lower James estuary which have served as oyster 

 seed beds and original sources of over 75 per cent of all oysters grown in lower 

 Chesapeake Bay for many years. 



In addition to serving as beds and sources of shelter, support and nutrients 

 for important marine animals, Virginia's tidal bottoms contain valuable deposits 

 of gravel which have been dredged for use in construction and commerce for 

 sometime. Furthermore, fossil and recent, but overlain, submerged oyster shell 

 reefs have been exploited for years, not only for oyster repletion programs, but 

 also to manufacture lime and chicken feed and for other industrial uses. Use of 

 this non-renewable resource for industrial purposes is rapidly increasing and a 

 sizeable shell-dredging operation has developed in Virginia waters. 



Sand has long been used in construction projects. The islands of the new 

 Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel and much other commercially valuable land has 

 been built of submarine sand. 



The bottoms also serve as substrates for many bacteria and animals and plants 

 which may be themselves nece.ssary to the ecological web of these marine en- 

 vironments or may serve as food or attractants to important fishes and crabs. 



Indeed, unseen and unappreciated as they usually are, the sandy, muddy, light 

 and dark bottoms of Virginia's estuaries, bays and sea are natural resources of 

 great value to the Commonwealth. There bottoms can become contaminated by 

 silt, chemical and radioactive wastes. Nursery areas and clam, oyster and crab 

 beds can be destroyed completely. Being essentially non-renewable resources, 

 gravel and shell can be depleted. Contamination and destruction must be pre- 

 vented and over use of shell and gravel resources must not be allowed to occur. 

 These things can be accomplished only if we understand processes and results of 

 contamination and if we know what our usable stocks of resources are. AVe do 

 not as yet. 



Marine organisms 



In the past talk of Viriginia's marine resources has centered around marine 

 life, more specifically those marine oi-ganisms that could be caught, processed and 

 marketed for a profit (see Api)endix I.) We have seen above that there are useful 

 marine resources other than the biological ; however, because they are living, 

 transient and greatly variable in quantity the fishery resources have received 

 much attention. 



