The Way to a Cleaner Harbor

The Way to a Cleaner Harbor. . , The water is cleaner. Porpoises and seals are back. Mussels and sea urchins are re-colonizing rocky areas. Fish and shellfish diseases are declining. Swimmers are returning., Boston Harbor has made a remarkable recovery since the installation of new wastewater treatment facilities starting in 1989. It now boasts one of the most advanced pollution management programs in America., The islands in the harbor are home to a rich diversity of plant and animal life and human history. The Boston Harbor Islands National Park Area, designated in 1996, will preserve the great natural and cultural resources on 34 islands for public use., [Captions:] , The fishing schooner Ellen C. Burke, right, and a fisherman, above in the early 1900s., The Harbor cleanup has brought an increased abundance of shellfish beds and other animal communities., The Save the Harbor Fishing Derby helps to raise public awareness that natural populations are increasing. Fish such as striped bass, seen here, are returning in greater numbers and improving in health., The appearance of this snowy egret confirms the success of the cleanup. The harbor and its islands support salt marshes and seagrass beds, rare in urban areas., A restored Boston Harbor will offer recreational benefits to future generations., There were many decades of decline after this view of Marine Park, South Boston in the mid 1890s. Now, swimming conditions at Harbor beaches have greatly improved.