1998 Year of the Ocean Perspectives on Marine Environmental Quality 



millions of gallons of raw sewage from entering the ocean). While much progress has been made 

 in protecting the ocean, there is still much that is unknown about marine and coastal waters and 

 much that needs to be done to protect them and their resources. The challenges may be daunting, 

 but they are manageable. Stakeholders working together in partnerships is a key component to 

 furthering progress in protecting, restoring, and maintaining the health and productivity of ocean 

 resources. The major environmental problems that need continued emphasis through protection 

 and enhancement programs include: 



• nutrient over-enrichment: eutrophication 

 pathogen contamination 



• toxic chemicals 



• alteration of freshwater inflow 



• loss and degradation of habitat 



• declines in fish and wildlife populations 



• introduction of invasive species 



• accidental spills 



• 



The control of non-point sources is key to making further progress in protection of ocean 

 waters and habitat. Point source management measures have greatly improved water quality. 

 Industrial and municipal discharges of waste water are controlled under the National Pollutant 

 Discharge Elimination System and this effort has greatly reduced pollutants such as toxic 

 chemicals and untreated sewage entering marine and coastal waters. However, major challenges 

 remain in identifying causes and effects of various pollutant sources, addressing non-point 

 sources of pollution, reducing wetlands loss, and finding and implementing solutions to these 

 and the other coastal environmental problems listed above. Several examples of current actions 

 to address these problems are provided below. 



Nutrient Over-enrichment 



Increased incidences in 1 997 of fish kills and fish with lesions in tributaries to the 

 Chesapeake Bay highlighted the growing national concern over the impacts of outbreaks of toxic 

 Pfiesteria piscicida and other harmful algal blooms. Marine biotoxins and harmful algae 

 represent a significant and expanding threat to human health, marine mammals, and fisheries 

 resources throughout the United States. In addition to causing threats to public health and 

 wildlife, the death and decay of algal blooms can lead to oxygen depletion in the water, resulting 

 in widespread mortalities offish, shellfish, and invertebrates. When oxygen depletion reaches a 

 sufficiently high level, a "dead zone", or area where marine life cannot survive, may occur (as in 

 the 7,000 square mile Gulf of Mexico dead zone). 



There is strong evidence connecting harmful algal blooms with nutrient pollution — 

 excessive nitrogen and phosphorus — in the water. In general, three significant sources of nutrient 

 pollution have been identified: discharges from septic systems or sewage treatment plants, 

 agricultural runoff from fertilizer or animal wastes, and air deposition of nitrogen, primarih from 

 electric utility power plants and vehicle emissions. EPA, NOAA, and other federal agencies are 



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