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Appendix E Water Resource

Water Resource Challenges

Freshwater Resource Challenge Description
Aquifer depletion When water tables go too low and can cause sink holes and drain aquifer dry.
Overdrawing surface water Removal of too much water can endanger ecosystems. Cause man made water shortages.
Saltinition of irrigated soil Accumulation of salt in the land from irrigation and land. Poisons plants and unfit drop productions.
Ocean Water Resource Challenge Description
World fisheries Fish are being overfished for human consumption. It is damaging ecosystem and killing off species.
Coastal Development Causes areas to become overpopulated, polluted, and destroys natural habitats.ie; mangroves and reefs
Point source pollution The dumping of sewage, garbage, ship ballast oils, and other waste. These pollutants and toxins kill the ecosystem as well.

The water resource challenge was the World fisheries and the destruction that they are causing. In the reading it claimed that over 133 million tons of ocean life was retrieved for consumption last year alone. The fisheries have almost harvested all the larger fish to extinction. The prices for the premium fish market are not high enough to pay for what is being destroyed. Commercial fishing not only affects the oceans balance but the ecosystems that inhabit it. This commercial style fishing is also destroying the life of sport fishing as well, since the game fish population is decreased. The fish are unable to reproduce as fast as they are being netted. Studies show it can take up to 15 years for a population to regenerate enough of the species to begin fishing again.