

Recent projections indicate that without intervention, the Sound could lose all of its seagrass beds by 2030, and that two-thirds of the Sound could lack enough oxygen for fish to survive.

Eutrophication has had significant economic impacts on Long Island Sound, where commercial shellfisheries have lost millions of dollars annually since 1985. The state plans to establish five new sanctuary sites in Suffolk and Nassau Counties to transplant seeded clams and oysters, and to expand public shellfish hatcheries in the two counties through a dedicated grant program.

Cuomo announced a $10.4 million effort to improve Long Island's water quality and bolster the economies and resiliency of coastal communities by restoring native shellfish populations to coastal waters. In September 2017, New York Governor Andrew M. This leads to a reduced catch for commercial and recreational fisheries, meaning smaller harvests and more expensive seafood. Acidification slows the growth of fish and shellfish and can prevent shell formation in bivalve mollusks. This lowers the pH of seawater, a process known as ocean acidification. The excess algae and plant matter eventually decompose, producing large amounts of carbon dioxide. Many of these estuaries also support bivalve mollusk populations (e.g., oysters, clams, scallops), which naturally reduce nutrients through their filter-feeding activities.Įutrophication sets off a chain reaction in the ecosystem, starting with an overabundance of algae and plants. Excessive nutrients lead to algal blooms and low-oxygen (hypoxic) waters that can kill fish and seagrass and reduce essential fish habitats. that have been studied by researchers are moderately to severely degraded by excessive nutrient inputs. Sixty-five percent of the estuaries and coastal waters in the contiguous U.S. Harmful algal blooms, dead zones, and fish kills are the results of a process called eutrophication - which occurs when the environment becomes enriched with nutrients, increasing the amount of plant and algae growth to estuaries and coastal waters. TranscriptĮutrophication is a big word that describes a big problem in the nation's estuaries. VIDEO: What is eutrophication? Here's an overview in one minute.
