4.2 Aquatic Communities
• Where practical, restore marsh habitat by flling drainage ditches and install tide gates in agricultural felds so that sea water does not fow inland through them (DeWan et al. 2010) .
• Consider closing fsheries for declining species during the spawning season.
Conservation Programs and Partnerships. Conservation programs, incentives, and partnerships should be utilized to the greatest extent possible to preserve high-quality resources and protect important natural communities. Protective measures that utilize existing regulatory frameworks to protect habitats and species should be incorporated where applicable. Land conservation or preservation can serve numerous purposes in the face of anticipated climate change, but above all, it promotes ecosystem resilience. • Facilitate the development of state and local policies that support the use of LID prac- tices to reduce runof (APNEP 2012) . • Facilitate the use of BMPs on agricultural and silvicultural lands (APNEP 2012). Runof can carry sediments, nitrogen, phosphorus, pesticides, and other substances into the sounds. • Facilitate protection of designated anadromous fsh spawning areas and inland pri- mary nursery areas from marina impacts (APNEP 2012) . • Establish marsh habitats in cleared areas that are likely to become wetlands in the future due to inundation or frequent fooding. • Protect conservation corridors that run from shorelines inland to facilitate habitat migration ( DeWan et al. 2010 ).
• Establish oyster reefs and SAV beds ofshore to help bufer shorelines ( DeWan et al. 2010; Pearsall and Poulter 2005 ).
• Consider establishing marine reserves to provide refuge from fshing pressure, facilitate adult migration patterns and larval dispersal pathways, and support fsheries resto- ration eforts ( DiBacco et al. 2006 ).
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2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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