Lagoons are a particular type of transitional water body in that they occupy an important niche between the land and the sea, between the features of a catchment and the open ocean. they have their own set of processes as well as being reliant on processes from the freshwater runoff, the land, the coast and the sea. However, they are also the sites of large urban and industrial developments, of ports, aquaculture and fisheries. It is axiomatic that lagoonal scientists have to place thei work on the natural features within the real -world of the management, administration and governance of the areas. We will have to deal more and more with coastal eutrophication. The human development along the coast will not reduce nutrient and organic matter input, which is the cause of eutrophication. We need to study effective management strategies downstream of the consequences of eutrophication