U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) has introduced a resolution to designate September 20–27, 2025, as National Estuaries Week. The resolution highlights the importance of protecting and restoring America’s estuaries, which play a significant role in economic activity but are facing challenges such as rising sea levels, pollution, and extreme weather.
“When Louisiana’s coastlines are protected, so is our way of life. Our estuaries are a lifeline. We must keep them healthy,” said Dr. Cassidy.
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) joined Cassidy in introducing the resolution.
Daniel Hayden, President of Restore America’s Estuaries, emphasized the critical role these regions serve for many Americans: “National Estuaries Week reminds us of the vital role estuaries, bays, sounds, and coastal regions play in our nation’s future. Nearly 40% of Americans live in a coastal region and many more rely on them for food, recreation, and trade but more can be done to ensure these ecosystems continue to thrive. We depend on our estuaries, and our estuaries depend on us. Restore America’s Estuaries thanks Senator Cassidy, Senator Whitehouse, and all of their colleagues who signed on to this bipartisan resolution – demonstrating continued support of our estuaries from our nation’s capital.”
Bren Haase, Director of the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program, noted the significance of estuaries for both Louisiana and the nation: “National Estuaries Week is a chance to celebrate the places that sustain our way of life in Louisiana and across the country. Estuaries are working landscapes—they buffer us from storms, fuel our fisheries, and anchor the communities and traditions that define coastal life. Here in the Barataria-Terrebonne region, we see every day how important it is to invest in restoring and protecting these waters and wetlands. We’re grateful for the bipartisan leadership in the Senate that recognizes the value of our nation’s estuaries and the role they play in building a more resilient future.”
Estuaries are areas where freshwater from rivers meets saltwater from seas or lakes. These regions cover only about 13 percent of U.S. land area but contain nearly 40 percent of its population and contribute almost half of national economic output according to data from NOAA.
Estuarine environments provide services like water filtration, flood control, shoreline stabilization, erosion prevention—and help protect communities during hurricanes or other severe weather events.
Threats to these environments have grown over time; since the 1780s more than half of U.S. wetlands have been lost according to estimates by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Many bays that were once important fisheries now face issues like algal blooms caused by nutrient pollution as well as chemical waste accumulation.
