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Map of Power
Plant Locations, New York through North Carolina, click here
to enlarge. Photo image was obtained from NASA's
MODIS Program, with power plant locations added by ASA Analysis
and Communication, Inc. |
There
are 41 power plants located in Atlantic coastal and estuarine
waters from New York to Georgia. These power plants have the potential
to impact marine and estuarine fish populations through impingement
of eggs and entrainment of young and possibly adult fish. Typically,
assessments of power plant mortality have focused on evaluation
of individual power plant impacts with little information being
provided on the cumulative effects on migratory species.
Addtionally, mortality estimates have often been expressed
in terms of numbers of fish killed, which is difficult to relate
to the mortality estimates provided by stock assessments, usually
expressed as a fishing mortality rate or spawning stock
biomass. The Commission has initiated a project to evaluate the
cumulative population level effects of power plant impingement
and entrainment on Atlantic menhaden. Given the current lack of
power plant information, this project will most likely result
in a demonstration of the analytical methods and recommendations
on future data collection requirements.
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