Economic Impact of the Effects of Pollution on the Coastal Fisheries of the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Regions of the United States of America - FAO Fisheries Technical Paper No.172

This report reviews and evaluates the economic impact on the fisheries of the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the United States of other human activities. Four types of impact were considered: production of oil and gas; direct fish mortalities caused by effluent; habitat deterioration; and closure of molluscan fisheries for health reasons. An attempt is made to obtain quantitative (dollar) estimates of the impacts, both negative and positive. The main quantifiable effects are of habitat destruction on species requiring estuaries and similar areas as nurseries (particularly in the Gulf and Middle Atlantic region), and molluscan fisheries (again the Gulf region is particularly affected).