Many fishermen have seen it firsthand over time, and it’s always been pretty self-evident, but a new study confirms it; development around tidal creeks directly affects the ecosystem’s health. A recent NOAA study substantiated that the level of human development activities—including roadways, sidewalks and roofs—in a watershed has a direct impact on the health of area tidal creeks. Development also threatens public health in those coastal areas.

The report came from the Estuarine Research Federation International Conference (ERFIC) in Providence, R.I, but hits home for many Southeastern fishermen who routinely fish tidal creeks.

"The health of America's tidal creeks provides an early warning of the effects of coastal development on both coastal ecosystems and potential human health and well-being," said Fred Holland, director of NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science’s Hollings Marine Laboratory and lead author of the study.

Non-point source pollutants are the main culprits that can make their way through an ecosystem and adversely affect human health. Non-point source pollutants include pollution, fertilizer and bacteria that get picked up with the rains and deposited into water sources. Headwater portions of tidal creeks are usually the first marine ecosystems to respond to land-based pollution.

The comparative ecosystem study was done in collaboration with Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve systems. From that, a framework was developed that can now be used to evaluate and predict how coastal development affects watersheds, ecological processes and quality of life in the coastal zone.