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Loss of U.S. fish habitat is increasing, report says

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Fish habitat has been declining for decades in the U.S. and the trend is worsening, according to a new report.

The nation lost 84,100 acres of coastal wetlands between 2004 and 2009 - triple the loss from 1998 to 2004, according to the report by Restore America's Estuaries, the American Sportfishing Association and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Without action to protect and restore habitat, the trend will worsen as a result of climate change and sea level rise, the "More Habitat Means More Fish" report says.

Coasts and estuaries provide vital habitat for more than three-quarters of the nation’s commercial fish catch and 80 to 90 percent of the recreational catch, according to the report.

Commercial and recreational saltwater fishing generated more than $199 billion in sales and supported 1.7 million jobs in the U.S. in 2011, according to the report.

The report recommends:

- Restoring migratory passages upstream for fish such as sturgeon, salmon and river herring.

- Building oyster shell reefs, which increase fish and blue crab populations.

- Protecting and restoring marshes and seagrasses, which provide shelter and food for many important fish species.

- Creating sheltered spaces, such as ponds, for young fish.

The American Littoral Society is restoring an oyster reef in Barnegat Bay, among other efforts aimed at restoring habitat, according to Tim Dillingham, executive director.

Restored habitats such as oyster reefs, natural shorelines and tidal marshes can help enhance resilience to storms, Dillingham said in an email.

Debris from superstorm Sandy in a marsh in Stafford (file photo by Tom Spader)

 

An egret in wetlands in Harvey Cedars (file photo by Peter Ackerman)

 

 

 


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