Page updated on 11/29/07
 

Are Pollution and Development Undermining Our Industry?
 

     When the Pew Oceans Commission released its final report, America’s Living Oceans: Charting a Course for Sea Change, last summer, much of the media focused on the decline of fisheries and fishery mismanagement. What was lost in the news coverage is that pollution and coastal development can cause harm to living marine resources.  While much of the attention today on fisheries management focuses on Amendment 13, coastal development is pushing fishermen off the water and destroying coastal habitat. Pollution is creating dead zones in the ocean and contaminating our fishery resources. Even with the best fishery management in the world, pollution and development will hinder the return of vibrant fisheries unless things change.  The question now is, how can the fishing community have more of a say in pollution and development decisions? How can we work together to combat the negative impacts of pollution and coastal development? The session began with an overview of the Pew Oceans Commission report, followed by a closer look at the impacts of pollution and coastal development on fisheries and fishermen.

Host:  David Etnier, Maine Dept. of Marine Resources