According to a new report assessing the water and habitat quality of the Long Beach and Los Angeles harbours, there is now a flourishing eco system for fish and marine animals.
This environmental success story comes after years of effort by the Port of Long Beach and the Port of Los Angeles. The two ports have reflected on the extensive Biological Harbour Survey and in turn undertaken attentive action to improve water conditions and protect wildlife.
The Biological Harbour Survey, conducted in 2013 and 2014 through an ongoing partnership between the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, identified 558 species of plants and animals living on the rocks and pilings in the harbours. This represents a 60 percent increase from the last survey in 2008 and almost twice the number catalogued in the 2000 survey.
Water quality conditions also improved, with oxygen and phytoplankton measurements higher than ever before. Fish were abundant, and giant kelp beds expanded to cover as much as 132 acres of Outer Harbor waters; maximum kelp coverage reached only 27 acres in 2000 and 80 acres in 2008.
Lori Ann Guzmán, Board of Harbor Commissioners President, said “There’s growing biodiversity in the harbors, including more birds and marine mammals, and we’re seeing species that cannot thrive in polluted waters”.
The survey allows both ports to remain consistent with the goals of the Green Port Policy.
In related news, the Port of Long Beach is seeking public opinion on their plans to transform an existing rail yard into a more environmentally sustainable facility.
