The A-B-Cs of the Sound

	Where is Albemarle-Pamlico?
	Click either map above to view it in larger scale.

Second only to the Chesapeake Bay, the Albemarle-Pamlico Estuary is at the top of the list for largest estuarine systems. It drains over 30,000 square miles between two states, five major river basins - Chowan, Roanoke, Pasquotank, Tar-Pamlico, and Neuse - and a number of beaches, marshes, and bottomland forests. To cover the Sounds' entire region, one would cross more than 9,299 miles of freshwater rivers and streams and over 1.8 million acres of brackish, estuarine waters. Wind-driven tides and relatively shallow water characterize its seven sounds - Albemarle, Currituck, Croatan, Pamlico, Bogue, Core, and Roanoke.

The APNEP has funded demonstration projects addressing: New methods of protecting marshes, aquatic habitats, and private property from erosion Control systems that protect rivers and streams from stormwater runoff Composting techniques that turn waste from agriculture and crab processing into fertile soil New fishing gear that reduces the unintended capture of non-targeted species.   Other projects include: Support for 50 Environmental Education Centers Opening historic spawning areas for shad and herring that had been blocked by dams and roads Replenishing scallop beds decimated by the 1987 Red Tide

APNEP: The Early Years

One of the first NEPs to complete it's Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP), APNEP is designed to encourage local communities to take responsibility for managing the resources in their respective jurisdictions. The program is made up of representatives from federal, state and local government agencies responsible for managing the region's resources, as well as members of the community - citizens, business leaders, educators, and researchers.

 These stakeholders have worked together to identify problems in the region, develop specific actions to address those problems, and create and implement a formal management plan to restore and protect the estuary.

 In its infancy of existence, APNEP examined the Albemarle-Pamlico estuarine system as a whole. The program considered all aspects of region's ecological integrity in order to gain a better understanding of the complex relationship among all of its region's resources.

 For 16 years, the program has focused on both improving water quality in the region's estuaries as well as maintaining the integrity of the whole system. This includes its chemical, physical, and biological properties as well as its economic, recreational, and aesthetic values.

Solidifying APNEP's Mission

The CCMP is a common sense guide for environmental stewardship of the Albemarle-Pamlico estuary. It seeks to balance the need for economic growth with the need to secure the environmental future of the region.

Since 1987, research generated by APNEP was instrumental to its CCMP's development. Four key issues of the Albemarle-Pamlico Sounds were addressed in this document: water quality, habitats, fisheries resources, and stewardship.

Clarifying Water Quality Issues

APNEP has sought to restore, maintain, and enhance water quality in the region so that it's fit for fish, wildlife, and recreation. How? The program's staff has worked to reduce pollution from both point and non-point sources, lessen the risk of toxic contamination to aquatic life and human health, evaluate indicators of environmental stress in the estuary, and develop new techniques to better assess water quality degradation.

A major water quality concern for APNEP is the estuary's inability of 42% of its freshwater miles and 8% of its saltwater acres to fully support their designated uses. An additional 32% of its freshwater miles and 4% of its saltwater acres are threatened in their ability to continue supporting their uses.

So, what are the causes for Albemarle-Pamlico's water concerns? Much of the impairment of the estuary's waters can be attributed to nonpoint source pollution, which occurs when runoff from rainfall and snowmelt, or irrigation flows over land or through the ground, picks up pollutants, and delivers them into rivers, lakes, coastal waters or ground water. Sources include agricultural, construction, forestry and urban runoff as well as from waste disposal areas and airborne pollutants.

A smaller, but significant amount, of water quality impairment in the region can be attributed to point source dischargers - easily identifiable sources that contribute to the elevation of sediment, nutrients, biological oxygen demand, toxicants, and fecal coliform in the water.

Three of the region's major river basins - Neuse, Tar-Pamlico, and Chowan - are designated as nutrient sensitive waters and have special regulations to protect them. In addition, over 930 miles of the region's freshwater and streams are impaired mainly due to sediment, and low dissolved oxygen levels. Another concern are fish consumption advisories related to dioxin and mercury contamination, which can be long-lasting. One such incident, a10-year advisory for dioxin along a 50-mile stretch of the Chowan River, was recently lifted.

What's APNEP's response to water quality concerns? One approach the program is taking to reduce groundwater impacts on the estuary is supporting implementation of alternative septic system technology. The program is also reaching out to communities to "pitch in" through its Citizen's Water Quality Monitoring Program (CWQMP). Since 1988, this network of private citizens has monitored surface water quality in the estuary and its tributaries. Members conduct baseline and targeted monitoring and surveys as well as water quality education. Further outreach is gained through a quarterly newsletter, The Citizen Monitor, which is made available through the CWQMP web site, www.ecu.edu/icmr/cwqmp. Issues include a volunteer spotlight, details on upcoming workshops, seminars, and environmental campaigns, and advice conserving water, the warning signs of pollution, and protecting water quality in your own backyard.

"Citizens want to know what is happening in their local waters and their involvement in managing this resource is important," says Bill Crowell, APNEP Program Director.  Adds Joan Giordano, APNEP's Public Involvement Coordinator, "Water quality monitoring enables citizens to observe water conditions firsthand, and to be informed about the interactions of water measures and changes that occur due to natural events and pollution. Knowledge that volunteers gain through water quality monitoring helps them become informed citizens, and effectively act as advocates for a clean and healthy environment."

Fast Facts Habitats: On & Off Land 17 kinds of waterfowl winter in Albamarle Sound. Most of the land in this area remains rural and people share similar lifestyles: farming, fishing, and lodging. APNEP has established precision agriculture methods for over 500 acres of farmland. In addition to agriculture, forestry is another major land use activity A variety of culprits are responsible for Habitat impairments: Physical damage, natural events, excessive harvest pressure, changes in stream flows, and water quality degradation. Two miles of riparian habitat along the Roanoke River have been restored thanks to APNEP. This has been accomplished through cattle fencing and riverbank stabilization practices. Fast Facts Fisheries Resources Pamlico Sound is the cornerstone of NC's famous inshore fishery, generating millions of dollars annually. Approximately 1 million recreational fishermen fish North Carolina's coastal waters annually. Over $2 billion is generated annually from tourism.

Helping Habitats

Conserving and protecting vital fish and wildlife habitats and maintaining the natural heritage of the A/P Sounds region is another focus topic of APNEP. Many land and aquatic habitats in this region are vital to the survival of rare plant and animal species. According to May 1992 statistics, the estuary was home to 14 endangered species, 5 threatened species, 2 proposed endangered species, 1 proposed threatened species, and 65 state-designated rare plant, animal and natural communities.

APNEP also promotes the importance of ecologically sensitive environments such as fisheries nursery areas, wetlands, and submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) beds, and spawning centers. Fisheries nursery areas cover almost 25,000 acres or 1.5% of the estuarine system and are of critical importance to the propagation of over 75 species of fish and shellfish in North Carolina and along the east coast.

As filter feeders, shellfish - clams, oysters, bay scallops - contribute positively to water quality as they remove nutrients and suspended particles from the water and convert them to a food supply for other bottom dwelling organisms. Therefore, APNEP continues to address problems related to their decline, including the destruction of shellfish habitats and a rise in parasitic diseases.

What's so special about wetlands? APNEP informs its user groups of this environment's ability to reduce flood, storm, and erosion damages, offer a safe haven for fish and wildlife, influence oxygen production and nutrient recycling, act as groundwater recharge areas, and provide flow and bank stabilization in rivers and streams.

SAV beds provide important habitat for many estuarine species as well. This is because the vegetation helps reduce current velocities, provide an attachment surface for organisms, reduces turbidity, and provides refuge and food.

The region's rivers are an intricate part of habitat life as well, as they provide spawning grounds for striped bass, shad, herring, and other fish that live in the oceans but migrate up freshwater rivers to spawn. APNEP has restored over 1,100 miles of these fish habitats by removing dams, which prevent or limit species from swimming upstream.

What's Distressing the Fisheries?

ANEP also works to restore and maintain fisheries while providing for their long-term, sustainable use, both commercial and recreational.

 The estuary represents the region's key resource base through commercial fishing, tourism, recreation, and resort development. It is one of the cradles of the ocean's harvest, with more than 90% of all commercially important finfish and shellfish depending on its waters. It's believed that overfishing is a major caused of declining fish stocks. Downward trends in commercial landings of finfish species may an indication of these declining stocks.

Eight commercially and recreationally important species of finfish and shellfish are believed to be endanger of severe depletion: Atlantic croaker, Atlantic sturgeon, Eastern oyster, red drum, striped bass, summer flounder, weakfish, herring.

 Other possible reasons for fisheries declines include habitat loss, physical damage, natural events and cycles, excessive harvest pressure, changes in stream flows, and water quality degradation.

 Bycatch - the unintentional capture of untargeted species - is another urgent issue in fisheries management. It is a compelling concern of managers striving to rebuild declining fish stocks. Therefore, APNEP has worked to develop bycatch reduction gear and practices to reduce its impacts on the estuary's fishery.

 Stewardship: Tying it All Together

The key to any successful program is seeking out partners. In addition to enhancing its own inter-agency and inter-state linkages, APNEP continues to seek assistance from everyday people and businesses. The program's staff provides numerous opportunities for responsible stewardship, understanding the value of positive human interaction with the estuarine system's natural resources. APNEP has increased citizen input through forming five stakeholder-driven river basin regional councils. It also has informed its citizenry through its newsletter, The APNEP Beacon, since 1999. Issues, which can be downloaded from the progam's web site at www.apnep.org, include basin updates and fast facts, in-depth spotlights on stops along the estuary, and program news.

And, with the region's population now reaching the 3 million mark, advocate organizations such as APNEP can use the additional help to disseminate its message. Areas surrounding the Albemarle-Pamlico Sounds have grown almost 35% since 1980, with coastal areas experiencing some of the highest year-round and seasonal levels. These increases may have a greater relative impact on the estuarine resources of the region. So, it is the job of APNEP and its informed citizenry to continue emphasizing the importance of issues such as wise environmental planning. These practices will help to ensure the continued conservation and protection of the region's water quality, vital habitats and fisheries, and natural heritage.

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Want more information on
Albemarle-Pamlico Sounds National Estuary Program's successes?

Visit these featured pages on the ANEP web site:

Citizen's Report to the Nation A compilation of all 28 National Estuary Programs and summaries of each program

Estuary Fact Cards A compilation of facts and accomplishments for each of the 28 National Estuary Programs