June 10, 2014 — Around the Chesapeake, there has been a gradual but steady loss of waterfronts to land uses other than those directly tied to and dependent upon the water, a trend that is also national.
Tom Murray, a marine resource economist at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and a partner of the Virginia Coastal Zone program, said the loss has been a “death by a thousand cuts” — one crab shucking house here, another oyster processing house there.
The population of Virginia’s coastal counties increased by almost 50 percent during the period from 1980 to 2003.
According to Beth Polak of the Virginia Coastal Zone program’s Working Waterfronts program, increased demand for waterfront property has increased both property values and taxes that have an impact on the bottom lines of traditional waterfront businesses.
At the same time, declining fisheries — from overfishing, poor water quality and ecosystems changing because of sea level rise — have contributed to the decline of those taking to the water to earn a living.
Working waterfronts have a big impact on Virginia’s economy.
A recent study by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration showed that Virginia’s commercial fisheries generated sales of $1.5 billion and employed more than 19,000 people in 2012.
During that same year, the state’s recreational fishing industry employed another 8,000 and generated $834.4 million.
The study also estimated that recreational boating access allows another $1.2 billion in economic activity.
“These aren’t just local impacts, they represent benefits to all Virginians,” Murray said. Vacationers to Virginia’s coastal communities enjoy the ambience of the waterfront culture — and fresh seafood available right off the boat.
Read the full story at the Bay Journal