Stop Dredging Essay

Submitted By lalaland2001

Words: 348

Pages: 2

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Dear Fight For the Reef Campaign,

I am writing this letter to agree with your point on how dredging should be banned as it effects the flora and fauna, disturbs the water flow and damages the environment.

Dredging is scraping the bottom of a river, seafloor or other marine habitat to remove silt, open up a channel, make the river floor deeper to accommodate larger boats and prevent flooding or better drain nearby land. Occasionally law enforcement officials dredge to find evidence in a crime, but in those cases, silt is usually disturbed but not removed.

Most importantly, dredging harms both flora and fauna. The mechanical act of dredging destroys habitats and may kill fish and other wildlife. It also pulls in additional food such as dead fish into the water. This attracts predatory fish, which feed on the native species and decrease the natural population. Dredging can also crush and kill marine flora. It can smooth bed forms that make it harder for plants to grow and it reduces biodiversity. Dredging up sediments reduces the amount of sunlight that penetrates the water and reduces the number of plants able to grow.

Furthermore, dredging disturbs the flow of a body of water. While sometimes this is the reason for dredging, it often destroys habitats. It may turn wetlands into dry lands and eliminate flood plains. Also dredging in oceans can change the natural wave pattern.

Finally, dredging seriously damages the environment. Sediments are thrown into the

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