The impact of barrier islands is large on affecting the flourishing of the fishing industry along the Gulf Coast and Eastern U.S. These islands form natural barriers that allows for the formation of lagoons between themselves and the coast. The formation of these lagoons, with their low energy environments allow for the formation of estuaries. These estuaries are the areas where freshwater and saltwater meet. This meeting place is nutrient rich and helps in the natural recycling process of nutrients into coastal waters. They also provide areas where fish and other marine wildlife can come in from the ocean and higher energy environments to reproduce and provide a safe place for the young to survive in until maturity and their eventual return to coastal waters.