Chapter 4 Habitats
been altered by erosion and sedimentation. Habitat alteration from nonpoint source pollution and flow alteration (i.e., impoundments) is the primary cause of population declines for a large percentage of southeastern fishes considered imperiled (Etnier 1997; Collen et al. 2014) . Not surprisingly, nonpoint source pollution and the effects of dams and impoundments are also the leading historic and current threats to freshwater mollusks (Bogan 1993; Neves et al. 1997; Richter et al. 1997) . The complex life cycles and habitat requirements of mussels make them especially vulnerable to these perturbations (Adams 1990; Bogan 1993; Neves et al. 1997) . In North Carolina, threats to biodiversity are similar to those listed above and include point and nonpoint source pollution, hydrologic alteration, physical habitat manipulation, and pollution. In recent decades, water quality has improved in many watersheds that were historically polluted primarily by point source discharges; however, overall habitat degradation continues to threaten the health of aquatic communities. Increased development and urbanization, poorly managed crop and animal agriculture, and mining have impacted aquatic systems with point and nonpoint source inputs. Impoundments on major rivers and tributaries drastically alter the hydrologic regime of many North Carolina waterways and result in habitat fragmentation, blockage of fish migration routes, and physical habitat alterations. The US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) reports that North Carolina contains approximately 37,662 stream/river miles; 311,236 acres of lakes and impoundments; and 3,121 square miles of coastal bays (USEPA 2024) . Information summarized from a USEPA Clean Watershed Needs Survey, NPDES permits, and water quality assessments indicates more than half of the rivers are rated as ‘impaired’ because they are not meeting biological criteria or due to impaired aquatic communities. The USEPA reports more than half of the lakes and reservoirs in the state are impaired due to mercury contamination (USEPA 2024) . The NCDWR has rated all waters in the state as impaired based on a statewide fish consumption advisory issued by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) for mercury contamination (NCDHHS 2025) . 4.5.3 Aquatic Conservation Priorities, Strategies, and Recommendations There has been increased attention focused on analysis of aquatic biodiversity, patterns of imperilment, and threats to distill priorities for proactive management and/or conservation triage. A few efforts have gone beyond (or bypassed) identifying specific priorities to propose strategies that address long-term aquatic conservation needs and actions to address these priorities. These efforts were first outlined in North Carolina’s 2005 SWAP (NCWRC 2005) . To the greatest extent possible and where applicable, this guidance, as well as more recent efforts, have been incorporated into this Plan. The following sections outline aquatic conservation priorities, strategies, and recommendations that are applicable throughout North Carolina. The remaining portions of this chapter describe the 17 river basins, which are organized alphabetically. These descriptions provide a more detailed view of the threats, needs, and conservation priorities within each basin. A complete
4 - 376
2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator