Full document / COSOC-W-86-002 - the National Sea Grant Library

Estuarine and CoastalManagement-Tootsof the
Trade. Proceedingsof the TenthNationalConference
of TheCoastalSociety. October12-15.1986. New
Orleans.LA. Copyrightby TheCoastalSociety
1987.
Preface
EVOLVING RATIONALES FOR FEDERAL HABITAT PROGRAMS
Thomas E. Bigforrj
Habitat Conservation Branch
National Marine Fisheries Service
National Oceanicand AtmosphericAdmsuslntion
Gloucester. MA 01930-3097
This paper is the opinion of the author. It may not represent the
views of other agencies or staff. Nonetheless, it does explain
some of the pressures affecting habitat conservation programs
during an era of decreasing federal budgets and growing coastal
development pressures.
Introduction
Federal habitat programs In the Northeast, and perhaps elsewhere,
are entering a new era In their efforts to restore and protect
living marine resources and their habitat. These new challenges
to existing programs threaten to change program emphasis, affect
the breadth of coastal resource planning, and limit the tools of
federal habitat managers. This trend is most obvious at the
budget and management decision levels where pressures from
development and oonruercial Industries and politics are most
severe; fortunately, many staff biologists and planners still
operate with the full agency mandates In mind, unperturbed by the
neglect accorded to their work by decision-makers. Regardless the
inefficiencies and frustrations of this situation will probably
continue. Hopefully, habitat conservation programs and employee
morale will endure.
What Does This Mean to Resource Managers?
The Implications of this growing shift are significant. In NOAA's
National Marine Fisheries Service, habitat conservation has always
been a broad concept related to coranercial, recreational, forage,
and protected species. Specific mandates provided NMFS with an
entree into habitats for existing anadromous and marine species
and for historical habitats vital to species under restoration
such as Atlantic salmon and striped bass. However, with the
narrowed emphasis on habitats related to species with oonrnerical
value and with political pressures to support major development
725