Shipping, local industry and tourism all play their part in dirtying the waters and filling the natural environment with our waste products. It is estimated that one million birds and up to 100,000 marine animals die each year from entanglement or ingestion of plastics alone. Sea-borne species fare little better. Damage to the aquatic environment and coastal habitats that act as spawning grounds, over fishing and the EU common fisheries policy has led to so much depletion of the fish stock that we are now contemplating eating our chips with alternatives to cod, haddock or plaice. Despite so many cities and industries being sited by the seaside, it is not always a happy place to be.
Many coastal communities suffer above average unemployment.
Traditionally dominant sectors such as the leisure and tourism industries offer a high proportion of low paid, part time or seasonal jobs, leaving many without full-time year round employment. Add to this the high number of residents above the age of retirement, a brain drain of educated and skilled workers that is not compensated for by the influx of long-term unemployed, and it is easy to see why nearly half of the most quickly deteriorating districts in the UK are coastal areas. Local government is playing a major role in co-ordinating the regional coastal strategy. A Special Interest Group on Coastal Issues has put forward a consultation paper to help formulate a managed strategy to address the problems outlined above. It will look to promote the environmental well-being of the coast and the sustainable social and economic regeneration of its communities.