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Status and Trends of Wetlands in
the Coastal Watersheds of the
Eastern United States
Susan-Marie Stedman, NOAA Fisheries Service
Tom Dahl, US Fish and Wildlife Service
Some Background….
National Wetlands Trends (US FWS)
 Time Period
 1955-1975
 1973-1983
 1986-1997
 1998-2004
acres/year net change
-458,000
-290,000
-58,550
------------ “No net loss”
+32,000
“Coastal” Wetlands Trends
Gosselink and Bauman, 1980 (mostly tidal wetlands)

1922-1954: 19,000 ac/yr loss

1954-1974: 46,000 ac/yr loss
Brady and Flather, 1994 (mostly tidal wetlands)

1982-1987: 19,000 ac/yr loss
Brady and Goebel, 2002 (wetlands in coastal counties)

1992-1997: 32,600 ac/yr loss
Coastal Wetlands are Important as:
Habitat for commercial and recreational fish
98% of Chesapeake Bay commercial landings
and
97% in the Gulf of Mexico are estuarinedependent
Habitat for waterfowl
majority of black ducks winter on Atlantic coast
majority of gadwalls winter along Gulf Coast
Protection from coastal
storms and floods - $23B/yr
Recreation
And more………
Defining “Coastal”
Coastal Wetlands are….
 Salt marshes
 Brackish marshes
 Fresh tidal marshes
 Fresh tidal scrub/scrub
 Tidal riverine
 As well as….
 Non-tidal fresh wetlands
National data points vs. Coastal data points
 Total coastal
drainage area:
212.6 million
acres
 Data segmented
by coastline –
Great Lks.,
Atlantic, Gulf
 Sample plots:
2,265 (48 % of
national total)
 Field verification
plots: 824 (36%)
Wetland area in coastal
watersheds of the U.S., 2004
Coastal Wetlands Status 2004
(Great Lakes, Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico)
38%
62%
Wetlands of
Wetland types in coastal
Coastal
Watershedswatersheds of the Great Lakes,
RemainingAtlantic and Gulf of Mexico, 2004
Wetland Area
14%
86%
Estuarine and
Marine Wetland
Freshwater
Wetland
Coastal Wetlands Trends 1998-2004
(including Great Lakes)
 Average annual net loss of 60,000 acres per year
 Freshwater wetlands experienced 82% of that loss
 About 70% of the loss was due to development
 The Gulf of Mexico experienced the majority of the
wetland loss
Net change in wetlands by region
300000
National
200000
Great Lakes
100000
Acres
Gulf of M exico
0
-100000
-200000
-300000
-400000
Atlantic
Gains and Losses by
Coastal Region
Attribution of fresh water wetland losses:
Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Great Lakes
Agriculture, 3.6%
Deepwater, 14.5%
Intertidal
Wetlands,
0.05%
Urban & Rural
Development
22.4%
Other Development
Activities, 59.4%
Gulf Coast – Wetland Change Regions
Coastal development
Coastal development
Attribution of saltwater wetland losses
– Atlantic and Gulf Coasts
Urban Development,
0.86%
Other Uplands, 2.01%
Freshwater Wetlands,
0.32%
Deepwater, 96.14%
Rural Development,
0.67%
Atlantic Coast
Inundation Regions
91%
9%
Northern Atlantic
Southern Atlantic
Focus on Coastal Areas
Coastal watersheds of the eastern coterminous US:
 Have 12% of the land area
 Have 38% of the wetlands
 Have >50% of the people
 Support about 70% of the fish landings
 Experienced approximately the same average
annual net wetland loss from 1998-2004 as the
entire coterminous US from 1986-1997
Conclusions:
 Although wetland loss has reversed on a national
basis, it continues at an alarming rate in coastal
areas.
 Coastal areas need greater efforts to reverse the
trend of continuing wetland loss.
What next?
 Can we increase coastal wetland
conservation through existing programs?
 Do we need new programs focused on
coastal wetlands?
 How can we quantify coastal wetland
trends on the Pacific coasts?
Questions?