Publications:
Fact Cards
 The
New Hampshire Estuaries
include New Hampshire's
entire coastline. Nearly
250,000 people live in
this watershed. This estuary
supports a significant
seafood industry. Recreational
shellfishers harvest oysters
and clams; fishing enthusiasts
pursue striped bass, bluefish,
herring, and smelt; lobstering
is both a commercial and
recreational activity,
and eels are trapped for
bait and export. Birders
from all over the country
and the world come to
view migratory birds against
this picturesque backdrop.
Facts About the Estuary
- The
New Hampshire coast
includes over 230
miles of sensitive
tidal shoreline.
- The
estuaries project
encompasses a watershed
of 1087 square miles.
- The
coastal watershed
region includes 23,600
acres of tidal and
freshwater wetlands.
- There
are 13 functioning
dams, and 17 wastewater
treatment plants in
the watershed.
- Commercial
fisheries harvests
in NH were valued
at over $12.5 million
in 1997.
- Tourists
spent an estimated
$483 million in the
seacoast region during
1996.
Health
of the Estuary
- Nutrient
and bacterial contamination
from wastewater treatment
facility malfunctions,
illegal direct discharges,
faulty septic systems,
and non-point pollution
has impacted water
quality.
- Toxic
contamination is the
result of historic
industrial sites,
oil spills, industrial
and municipal wastewater,
and stormwater runoff.
- Sediment
laden runoff from
upland watersheds
and rivers has created
problems.
- Oyster
populations and clam
densities have declined.
- Wildlife
habitats have been
lost and fragmented.
- Salt
marsh habitats have
been lost or degraded
from filling, development,
and historic ditching
and draining to harvest
salt marsh hay and
control mosquitoes.
- Seasonal
fish populations have
declined due to over-harvests
and poor water quality.
- Rivers
that once supported
substantial runs of
anadromous fish now
host minimal returns
or none at all.
Accomplishments
of the Estuary Program
- Awarded
27 technical assistance
grants addressing
water quality and
habitat improvements,
and planning and outreach
efforts.
- Helped
the NH DES step up
their non-point source
investigations, resulting
in the identification
of numerous cross
connections and illegal
discharges to the
estuaries.
- Developed
a tool for land and
habitat conservation
and resource management.
- Provided
local and regional
scale maps identifying
high-value natural
resource areas susceptible
to development pressures
to each of the 19
communities with tidal
frontage.
- Identified
pollution sources,
cleaned up, and then
opened over 42,500
acres of the estuaries
to recreational shellfish
harvesting.
For
Viewing and Printing:
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Estuary Program files,
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