This loss, and the effects of these same factors on the ocean, including shipping and lost gear dramatically effects fisheries as much as over fishing. The loss of commercial fishing resources in turn undermines the stability of small coastal communities that depend on that resource, encouraging them to fall back on aggressive growth in the tourism industry and further development, which leads to more stress on the environment. This has serious consequences that reach beyond the immediate communities. Quality of life is reduced. Stress on local infrastructure support systems and the environment is increased and is not off set by taxes.
Community cohesion is threatened.
Some groups are bucking this loop. It was generally agreed in 1998 GPAC task force sessions that a key international intervention would be standardization of monitoring protocols for salt marsh restoration. The GOM historically has been one of the richest North American sources for natural resources, and like topsoil in the midwest, as these resources vanish, the entire country with it's burgeoning population is at risk. But even the wealthiest members of our society will be at risk when the last bit of topsoil has been made into green lawn and we no longer have clean water or animal resources. The GOM is a microcosm for how these problems are being played out nationally and globally.