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Serving Southeastern
New Hampshire and the Seacoast
by Doug Grout and Eric Orff
The New Hampshire Fish
and Game Department serves southeastern New Hampshire and the seacoast
through its Region 3 Office in Durham and the Great Bay Estuary
Research Reserve in Greenland. Regional fisheries, wildlife and
Fish and Game law enforcement staff are vital to the management
and protection of marine, fish and wildlife resources and their
habitats in this area.
The continued abundance
of fish and wildlife to provide recreational and commercial opportunities
for the seacoast -- and income for related businesses -- is dependent
on the services currently provided by the N.H. Fish and Game Department.
Following a sampling of the many services and benefits we provide
in the region:
Fish and Game Department activities in southeastern
New Hampshire support the local economy. Hundreds of thousands
of people journey to New Hampshire's seacoast each year to participate
in marine recreational fishing, wildlife watching and other outdoor
activities, bringing in tens of millions of dollars for local businesses.
Regional Fish and Game efforts also sustain a thriving lobster
fishery and support other commercial fisheries in the area.
Southeastern New Hampshire has the state's greatest
density of people, containing twelve of the thirteen of its largest
towns and cities. The region also has the state's highest densities
of most fish and wildlife populations, as well as the greatest diversity
of wild species in New Hampshire. People in southeastern New
Hampshire are living with fish and wildlife populations not seen
in over 200 years!
The presence of abundant wildlife populations
sometimes leads to the need to manage conflicts between wildlife
and people. Fish and Game's regional staff in southeastern New
Hampshire are literally wildlife referees! We've had to relocate
moose, deer and even bears regularly from cities in the region.
The balancing act between humans, fish and wildlife becomes more
complex by the year, and Fish and Game staff constantly monitor
and adjust the "balance of nature" -- including monitoring
for Avian Influenza and controlling the region's abundant
deer population (and associated risks of Lyme disease and vehicle
collisions). Who will maintain this balance if Fish and Game cannot?
The Fish and Game regional office in Durham houses
the Department's entire Marine Fisheries Division. On New
Hampshire's seacoast, Marine Division staff work cooperatively with
other coastal states and the federal government in the scientific
study and management of marine fish for recreational and commercial
uses. As a result, striped bass, cod and haddock are numerous once
again after years of depletion.
Fish and Game's regional law enforcement staff,
along with their other enforcement and search and rescue duties,
constantly monitor both recreational and commercial fishermen.
This continued oversight supports ongoing efforts to rebuild fish
populations.
Fish and Game marine biologists operate and maintain
seven coastal fish ladders, resulting in the restoration
of shad and alewives. Hundreds of thousands of alewives returning
to our coastal rivers each spring has enabled the return in the
last decade of a dozen pairs of nesting ospreys, the first in a
century. Without the operation of the fish ladders, food for these
ospreys and fish such as striped bass will dwindle.
The Great Bay Estuary Research Reserve
is a part of the N.H. Fish and Game Department, as well. The Reserve's
Discovery Center and the Hugh Gregg Coastal Conservation Center
on Great Bay in Greenland provide educational programs for students
of all ages. Nearly 15,000 people visit the Reserve and participate
in its programs each year. These programs provide opportunities
to learn the importance of estuaries to fish and wildlife, encouraging
future stewards of the environment. To find out more about the Reserve,
visit www.greatbay.org.
The real New Hampshire advantage is our abundant
natural resources -- the wildlife and wild lands that contribute
so much to our high quality of life. Through the efforts of the
N.H. Fish and Game Department and its conservation partners, more
than 100 coastal properties totaling over 7,700 acres of natural
area have been purchased or placed in conservation easements. The
success of these cooperative conservation programs has protected
these lands from development -- preserving waterfowl habitat
and vital nursery areas for marine species, as well as maintaining
open space for surrounding communities. These efforts ensure that
current and future licensed sportsmen and women, as well as kayakers,
canoeists and wildlife watchers, can enjoy access to the natural
unspoiled beauty of the lands and waterways in this corner of the
state, especially the Great Bay Estuary.
The New Hampshire Fish
and Game Department, a complex organization with an ever-expanding
set of duties and mandates that benefit all New Hampshire's
citizens, is an important steward of the natural resources and wild
places that enhance the quality of life throughout southeastern
New Hampshire and the seacoast.
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Doug Grout is a marine biologist and Eric Orff is a wildlife
biologist at the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department's Regional
Office in Durham.
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Region 3 (Southeast
N.H./Seacoast) contact information:
225 Main Street, Durham NH 03824
ralph.johnston@wildlife.nh.gov
fish@wildlife.nh.gov (fishing only)
phone: 603-868-1095
fax: 603-868-3305
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