Habitat Restoration Helps Put Anglers Back on the Pier, Hikers Back on the Trail

For many coastal communities, the waterfront is more than just a scenic backdrop-it's a hub of activity where regional economies and personal well-being intersect. Whether casting a line from a pier or a quiet walk along a marshland trail, these moments depend on healthy, accessible natural spaces. However, when oil or chemical spills or other disasters occur, their impacts go beyond the water-they interrupt a community's connection to the outdoors. When pollution degrades habitats like wetlands and compromises water quality, one of the most immediate consequences is the loss of recreational access. This leaves the public unable to fish, launch a boat, or even walk along the shore.

Through the Damage Assessment, Remediation, and Restoration Program , NOAA and its partners work to quantify these recreational losses after events like these. We determine the economic and social value of the lost use of the resource. Then, we use settlement funds recovered from responsible parties to restore the injured habitats and fund restoration projects.

Tangible Wins for Local Communities

Habitat restoration projects that target lost recreational use are designed to create new or improved access for the public, making up for the time that the resource was unavailable. These projects often improve infrastructure to better condition than before the incident, providing long-term benefits to local communities.

Bringing Charleston Anglers Back to the Water

In Charleston, South Carolina, a 2002 oil spill in the Cooper River injured marshes, tidal flats, oyster reefs and beaches-all habitats that draw the community to the water. The spill forced the immediate closure of critical shellfish beds during peak season. For months, the river's recreational shrimping was closed, forcing visitors and locals alike to cancel trips and stay off the water.

NOAA Fisheries' Office of Habitat Conservation oversaw a project to restore 11 acres of salt marsh, providing much needed habitat for recreational species like fish and crabs. Additionally, we worked to address the loss of recreational access. In collaboration with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation , we provided funding to the Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission , who constructed a new fishing pier on James Island at the Sol Legare Boat Landing. The pier opened up high-quality fishing and crabbing on the Stono River to community members without boats who previously had no way to reach the water.

Rebuilding Along the Delaware River

Similarly, in 2004, an oil spill on the Delaware River resulted in extensive impacts to shoreline and aquatic habitats and birds across three states, as well as restrictions on public use. Because the oil coated such a vast stretch of the shoreline, both motorized boat launches and pedestrian walking paths were closed to prevent public exposure. For many communities, the loss of these primary recreational outlets for months felt like a loss of the river itself.

Ecological Recovery: Marshes and Oyster Beds

To address these impacts, NOAA and partners restored intertidal marshes, wet meadow, coastal plain forest and several upland habitat zones. The restored habitats were located on what was previously an industrial site at Larder's Point Park in Philadelphia. The efforts to restore what the public lost has also focused heavily on the river's "ecosystem engineers": the oysters .

On the Delaware side of the river, the project team improved the "Over the Bar" oyster beds by placing clean shells in a historic seed bed, giving them a solid place to grow. In New Jersey, a similar shell-planting program helped boost the total oyster population. It ensured the Delaware Bay stays healthy and provides a habitat for fish and crabs for years to come.

The work to restore recreational access and injured habitats in and along the Delaware River is not over. Within the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, a series of upcoming projects will restore tidal connectivity and marsh habitat.These ecological improvements are designed to bolster fish populations-enhancing opportunities for recreational fishing-and to provide the community with upgraded walking paths.

Restoring Public Access

With these habitats restored and enhanced, a series of revitalizations also gave back the recreational opportunities that the community lost. In Wilmington, the restoration of the 7th Street Boat Ramp did just this-serving boaters, hikers, and birdwatchers alike. While the ramp's physical damage was caused by years of strong tidal currents, its total reconstruction serves as a way to make up for the river access that disappeared during and in the wake of the spill.

NOAA and its partners addressed these recreational impacts through multiple projects in the city's Eastside community, including:

• Total reconstruction of the ramp and dock
• A refurbished fishing pier
• An expanded parking lot to accommodate more visitors

At the ribbon cutting , Delaware's Secretary of Natural Resources and Environmental Control said, "anglers and boaters have waited a long time for this day to have water access restored within the city of Wilmington."

Further along the river in New Jersey, the Stow Creek Boat Ramp underwent a similar transformation. Once narrow and in poor condition, we replaced the ramp with a wider, longer concrete structure. It features a new boarding float for safe loading and a bulkhead to halt shoreline erosion. These upgrades now safely accommodate a higher volume of hunters, anglers, and community members, including those with disabilities.

Resilient Infrastructure at Little Tinicum Island

The restoration efforts extended beyond the mainland shoreline and onto the water at Little Tinicum Island. The Tinicum Island Recreational Trail provides Island visitors with a maintained permanent loop trail and two observation decks. The new features have improved exploration of the 200-acre island.

To manage the island's unique geography and frequent tidal flooding, engineers designed an innovative "breakaway bridge" built from recycled materials found on the island. Unlike a rigid structure that might be damaged by the force of rising tides, this bridge is designed to detach or pivot during high-water events. This prevents damage to the trail's foundation and allows for easy recovery once the water recedes. The use of such a bridge ensures the trail remains resilient over time, providing a sustainable path to view inlet wetlands and reach a permanent duck blind. Ongoing invasive species control ensures the native habitat remains healthy for visitors and wildlife alike.

A Stronger Link to the Water

Habitat restoration serves as an engine for outdoor recreation. When marshes are restored and oyster reefs are healthy, fish and shellfish populations flourish. As the water becomes more productive, the demand for high-quality access points-like the 7th Street and Stow Creek boat ramps-naturally increases.

As NOAA works to revitalize the environments that fish, birds, and wildlife depend on, we help maximize the value of infrastructure like piers and trails. This creates a cycle of growth: Healthier wetlands and more abundant fish populations attract more visitors to the piers and boaters to the ramps. This ensures the bond between the community and the water grows for future generations.