The following premises are particularly significant: 



1) The salt marshes, mud flats, estuaries, and dunes which form the 

 shoreland-upland interface exist within a delicate ecological framework, which 

 is extremely susceptible to even slight environmental changeso This interface 

 is of great importance to the marine food chain, and disruptions to it will 

 usually result in disruptions in the food chain at some levelo Such disruptions 

 may cause only short-term effects, but others may result in irreversible losseso 

 Dredging and filling activities, oil spills, deteriorating water quality, and 

 pesticide pollution are generally considered to perpetrate long-term and, at 

 times, irreversible losses to the shoreline environmento In view of the lat- 

 ter' s effects, any activities leading to the above incidences would be strongly 

 objected to on an environmental basis. 



2) Another environmental consideration is the importance of habitat 

 and species diversityo A major requirement for preserving such productivity 



is the avoidance of conditions which would lead to the domination of one species 

 within a system. Controlling fishery (including shellf ishery) harvest, con- 

 trolling public access to wetland areas, promoting habitat management of upland 

 areas, and establishing fishery management programs are methods that will 

 assure protection of the Sound's habitat and fishery resources, 



3) A third environmental consideration is the active improvement of 

 fishery and wildlife habitato Many of the Sound's natural areas have given way 

 to development, and what areas remain are often badly degraded or are in danger 

 of destruction o A primary method for upgrading those areas which are polluted 

 is the improvement of water quality. Better sewage treatment, including ident- 

 ification and treatment of non-point pollution sources, and stricter enforce- 

 ment of existing water quality regulations regarding the dumping of industrial 

 wastes and dredging and filling activities would help to improve water quality. 

 Other positive measures to improve fishery and wildlife habitat include creating 

 and restoring wetland areas, establishing upland wildlife management areas, 



and establishing artificial reefs. 



6. 2 Major economic considerations 



As reflected in Table 11 economic criteria favor cost efficient mea- 

 sures which will guarantee a high return on expenditures. They are neutral 

 with respect to measures that exhibit a one to one benefit-cost ratio, but they 

 are generally adverse to measures involving loss of developmental land or 

 resulting in low benefit-cost ratios. 



Among the cost efficient measures suggested are programs that would 

 (1) make use of available funds, (2) increase the market value of a product 

 or introduce new market items, and (3) lead to more efficient uses of a re- 

 source. Alternative measures which would promote the consumption of under- 

 utilized fish and shellfish species would not only add additional products to 

 the market but could serve to localize a fishing industry which, at the pre- 

 sent time, transports its catch to areas outside the LIS region. Associated 

 benefits of such a program include increased numbers of marketable items. 



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