As the official start of summer approaches and throngs of area residents begin heading to the beach, the air is full of anticipation and hope: hope that the water will be clean enough to swim in, hope that the beach hasn’t washed away, and hope that there will be tasty crabs and shellfish to eat.

But the Chesapeake, the largest estuary in the United States, is in trouble. Pollution, development, coastal erosion, and the destruction of valuable fisheries and shellfish beds have reduced the Bay to a shadow of its former self. Local health departments warn against swimming for 48 hours after a heavy rain, jobs are lost, and crucial habitat is destroyed. And, sadly, the Bay is typical of what’s happening nationwide to our bays and estuaries.

Bays and estuaries — rich mixes of salt and fresh water — are among the United States’ most important and productive ecological resources. They are nurseries and habitat for untold species of wildlife and plants. They act as essential storm buffers for coastal communities, from picturesque tourist towns and beach communities like Newport News and Virginia Beach to metropolises like Richmond and Washington, D.C. They are stopovers for millions of migratory birds and home to countless fish species.

But as important as bays and estuaries are ecologically, they may be even more important economically.

Not convinced? Let’s examine some cold, hard economic facts.

Across the country coastal counties make up just 13 percent of U.S. land area, but they generate half the nation’s GDP. They provide 40 percent of all American employment – more than 66 million jobs. Over three-quarters of all U.S. trade — $850 billion — passes through U.S. ports annually. The Port of Virginia and its related industries support over $41 billion in revenues, $13 billion in payroll and $1 billion in state and local tax revenue and support more than 343,000 jobs.

Nationally, over 75 percent of all commercial fish, 80 percent to 90 percent of recreational fish, and 85 percent of waterfowl and migratory birds depend on estuaries.

Locally, more than one-third of the nation’s blue crab harvest comes from the Chesapeake. This was worth about $78 million in 2009. The entire commercial seafood industry in Maryland and Virginia contributed $3.4 billion in sales, $890 million in income, and almost 34,000 jobs to the area economy.

And here’s the kicker: As the United States struggles to create jobs and generate new investments that produce significant economic returns, investing in restoring the health of our nation’s bays and estuaries can do both, here in the Chesapeake Bay region and across the country.

Despite these clear economic returns, critical coastal conservation programs are caught right now in political crosswinds. In fact, current funding plans threaten to dramatically reduce federal investments in coastal restoration and, in some cases, eliminate it altogether.

While we have made progress here in the Chesapeake Bay region, there is still a long way to go. We can get there. We have what no other region in the country has — a set of science-based pollution limits, and individual state blueprints that outline how to reduce pollution to achieve those limits. What’s needed is the continued commitment of government at all levels.

We have hope for long-term thinking and nonpartisan action, where political ideologies are set aside in the common interest and for future generations. The protection, conservation and sustainable management of our coastal habitats for the benefit of our children and future generations should be something we all support. Sailing, fishing, and swimming, after all, are not political activities. And if we don’t keep making progress we will continue to have polluted water, human health hazards and lost jobs — at a huge cost to society.

Let’s finish the job here in the Chesapeake and support restoration efforts in all of America’s bays and estuaries. The returns are well worth it.