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The National Marine Fisheries Service today announced that the agency will soon unveil sweeping changes to its coastal habitat program to better protect marine wildlife that live in the nation's coastal wetlands and estuaries. Habitat officials will present the proposed changes and seek comment at a series of nationwide workshops that start Friday in San Francisco.
"Current policy does not allow us to effectively halt the continued loss of marine habitat that is so vital to maintaining a viable fishing industry and nursing many endangered species back to health,þ said Rollie Schmitten, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Fisheries Service. "We've listened carefully to suggestions from state agencies and non-government experts and have crafted sweeping revisions to the habitat program that include a good mix of habitat research and protection."
Fisheries service efforts to improve the habitat program began last fall when officials met with several constituent groups to discuss options for a more effective program. The agency has received input from those meetings and is proposing revisions that will improve the agency's habitat programs. Those ideas are now ready for broader public review. For instance, the agency is contemplating expanded relationships with constituents to protect habitats through ecosystem and watershed initiatives. Issues such as dredged material, habitat restoration and anadromous fish may be considered a higher priority within the program. The fisheries service may also shift some of its research focus to lend greater support to these efforts.
"The public and private sectors are operating in an era of staff and budget constraints. Unfortunately, our natural resources are also under severe pressure. I am, however, absolutely convinced that together we can improve the current state of habitat research and management through the review process, and the fisheries service will be the leader in this effort," Schmitten said.
Productive habitats are vital to marine industries and regional economies. Many of these habitats are in coastal waters and estuaries near major population areas. Commercial industries harvest more than $2 billion of seafood annually from those same nearshore waters. Recreational anglers spend nearly $8 billion each year chasing sportfish that are dependent on coastal waters. Additionally, dozens of fish stocks now listed under the Endangered Species Act are obstructed from traditional habitats by stream blockages, low water levels or pollution.
The fisheries service is holding eight workshops to ask for input on the agencyþs rewrite of the program. Each meeting will include more than 20 key constituent representatives, all invited to debate important challenges facing the national habitat program. Workshops will be held in San Francisco, Boston, Charleston, New Orleans, Seattle, Anchorage, New York and Annapolis during the next four weeks.
Those participating in workshop discussions include representatives from state agencies, the fishing industry, envi- ronmental groups, port and coastal planners, recreational fisher- men and others knowledgeable about habitat issues.
The National Marine Fisheries Service is part of the Commerce Departmentþs National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The agency promotes healthy coastal ecosystems in a way that maintains long-term fisheries productivity and promotes economic growth, recreation and tourism.