Our coast is a diverse resource that encompasses the rocky shores of New England, the sweeping white beaches and barrier islands of the middle eastern and southern states, the fertile deltas and marshes of the Gulf of Mexico, the varied and majestic California coast, the rocky and boulder-strewn foggy Pacific Northwest, the young, glacial coast of Alaska, the volcanic shores of the Hawaiian Islands, and the extensive fresh-water system of the Great Lakes. The coastal margin, that thin edge of land and water where people and oceans meet, is actually a complex of valuable and fragile resources: estuaries and lagoons, beaches, bays and harbors, islands and marshes.
People not only visit the coast for recreation and sport, but whole communities depend upon it for their livelihood. About 20 years ago, more than 260,000 Americans were commercial fishermen. They landed a record six billion pounds of seafood with a retail value of $5.9 billion. A lot has changed since then; the 1993 U.S. commercial fishing industry marketed products valued at $19.8 billion.
Along the Atlantic and Gulf shores, more than 134 barrier islands protect our mainland from violent storms, flooding and erosion, and our bays and wetlands, when not abused, act as powerful natural pollution control mechanisms.
Beyond its economic value, the coast has always been a special place for humankind. It nurtures our thoughts, refreshes our spirits, and through the ages has given rise to poetry, mythology, invention and great civilizations. The sea-land relationship is fascinating, unpredictable and alive with beauty. Along our coast, shellfish, birds, plants, fish and microscopic life forms interact constantly in delicate mutual interdependence. Waves, tides, sand and the geological variations of our continental shelf combine with weather and changing seasons to create an awesome drama: our richest and most mysterious natural resource.
We Cannot Survive Without a Functioning Coast.
Americans are caretakers of over 100,000 miles of beaches, bays, estuaries, and wetlands, including fisheries and wildlife habitat, that has in recent times been degraded by thermal, chemical and municipal pollution, poorly planned development, adverse impacts of offshore oil development, dredging, filling, erosion, and much more. Commercial fishermen, vacationers, retirees, industrialists and developers make competing claims on this limited resource.
Although each single-purpose use may seem justifiable on its own, the overall effect of excess use and piecemeal management is chaos: private beach development restricts public access; dredging and filling often downgrade commercial and recreational fishing grounds; offshore drilling operations have similar effects and may also limit freedom of navigation. Twenty years ago it was common along our coast to see oil-stained tide pools, shorebird populations in peril, shellfish beds in quarantine, beaches closed, and urban waterfronts in decay. In addition, despite their high ecological and economic value, over 40 percent of our wetlands had been destroyed and others were being lost at a rate of 300,000 acres per year. We live in a recreation-minded, industrialized society that is making unprecedented demands on the vitality of our shores.
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