Bays, sounds, marshes, swamps, inlets, and sloughs are all examples of estuaries. The community of life found on the land and in the water includes mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, shellfish, and plants, all of which interact within complex food webs. People have always been attracted to estuaries. Since Colonial times, we have used estuaries and their connecting networks of rivers to transport agricultural goods for manufacturing and trade. Today, more than two-thirds of the commercially important fish and shellfish spawn, mature, or feed in estuaries.
Estuaries also feed our hearts and minds.
Nevertheless, human activity seriously threatens the vulnerable ecosystems found within the estuaries. Long considered to be wastelands, estuaries have had their channels dredged, marshes and tidal flats filled, waters polluted, and shorelines reconstructed to accommodate our housing, transportation, industrial, and agricultural needs. As our population grows and the demands imposed on our natural resources increase, so does the importance of protecting these resources for their natural and aesthetic values. In pursuit of this goal, the National Estuarine Research Reserves work with federal and state authorities to establish, manage, and maintain reserves, and to provide for their long-term stewardship. The system now protects 25 estuaries nationwide for research and education.