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Commercial Economic Benefits
Estuaries provide commercial economic benefit to the U.S. in the form of seafood sales and jobs.
Fancy steamed shrimp or fried catfish for dinner? Chances are they were caught in an estuary. Estuaries provide many benefits to you and your loved ones, whether you live on the coast or in an inland state.
In 2006, the U.S. exported over $3.9 billion in seafood. Estuaries provide habitat for over 75% of the U.S. commercial sea catch. Without estuaries, the trade of seafood, which is so vital to the U.S. economy, would not exist.
Estuaries support jobs and income for many Americans each year. Think about all those who make their money from commercial activities in estuaries. Shrimp trawlers, crabbers and other commercial fishing boats fish in and near estuaries. The seafood they bring in is processed and distributed fresh or frozen by trains, boats, airplanes and trucks across the U.S. and the world. Approximately 85,000 people in the U.S. were employed in the seafood processing and wholesaling sectors in 1999.
There is also commercial value in some other, unexpected estuarine organisms. For example, oysters and clams can be crushed and use as fertilizer. Also, an extract of the horseshoe crab's blood is used by the pharmaceutical industries to ensure that their products (such as intravenous drugs and vaccines) are free of bacterial contamination.
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Last Updated on: 05-24-2011
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