DOESN T THE MAINTENANCE MATERIAL AFFECT FISHERIES?
Any increase in turbidity has an effect on fisheries. Turbidity decreases the light available to seagrasses and phytoplankton and reduces the hunting success of zooplankton and fish. Direct burial has an impact on the benthic organisms, which along with seagrass and plankton, are at the base of the food web for fisheries. However, the area of the Laguna Madre is vast and, as the Hydrodynamic and Sediment Transport Models showed, the area of increased turbidity is small and short-term. Studies conducted by the National Marine Fisheries Service at the recommendation of the Interagency Coordination Team demonstrated that the effects of dredged material placement on benthic organisms in and around representative placement areas were localized. Furthermore, the benthic organisms quickly recovered or recolonized the sites after disposal operations were completed. Therefore, there are impacts to fisheries, but they are short-term, cover a relatively small area, and are not significant. Additi
