Agenda - 10-19-1993 - IV-B - Laserfiche WebLink

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recent decades, losses have been greatest in freshwater wetlands, saltwater marshes are relatively well protected. Other problems are at a critical stage and cannot be ignored.While progress has been made toward reducing the once-frequent algal blooms that killed fish stocks in the Neuse,Tar,Pamlico and Chowan rivers, fishermen and crabbers continue to suffer from declining catches and complain of fish 2.51 pocked with ulcers and sores.Also, . -2- ,, - :; excessive fishing, both recrea- I.--- `� S tional and commercial, has se- / \. --r • verely depleted stocks of summer �� 2.25 3-r''�* • flounder, river herring, striped ` bass and other important ernes. P p One of the greatest challenges ' 1-.7 '"` l 2010 facing the region is how to deal _ ! _ ) --1 `—x with population growth. _ ,l, 1.98 y : For many years,coastal develop- _ : !f ment was limited by poor roads; -' 2000 ' many areas could be reached only by boat But in the last decade,the 111 1.66 �! `",(1-0,47, population in the Albemarle-Pam- • •-\ lico region has grown by 19.4 per- \ cent,double the rate of the nation 1990 Population (in millions) as awhe year A/P Stud Area By the year 2,000, the region is Study expected to grow by 13.4 percent. Permanent Population 1980 While some counties will lose " population over this period,others will see growth rates of 20 percent or more. In addition, tens of thousands of tourists flock to North Carolina's oceans and sounds each season,increasing demand for roads,resorts, restaurants and recreational facilities. WHAT CAN BE DONE To PROTECT THE ESTUARY? The Albemarle-Pamlico region is one ofdiversity,notjust in its natural environment but in the various groups of people who live and make their living there. These groups often seem at odds with one another:Environmental- : • . ists want to preserve wetlands;farmers want to grow crops.A city sewage plant needs to discharge treated waste into astream;a fisherman suffers from declining or diseased catches. An individual may feel his or her actions don't have much impact on the system as a whole. But every part of the estuary is related.And the cumulative effects of these individual actions an be profound. Since 1987, a group of scientists, private citizens, and federal, state and local officials has been looking at how best to balance competing interests and protect the region's natural resources.