U.S. Marine Protected Areas
Controlling Ocean and Coastal Ecosystems
Many coastal and offshore ecosystems continue to be degraded by anthropogenic causes, despite efforts to control or limit them. The causes of degradation are numerous, and can include: pollutants runoff (carrying sediment and chemicals) from land coastal development introduction of non-native or invasive species overfishing and by catch habitat alteration rising sea level and climate change The public is becoming aware of degraded marine areas because of widely publicized incidents and trends, including a large seasonal “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico, the environmental effects of oil spills, population declines of many popular fish species to levels that can…
