Chapter III 



Characterization and 

 Problem Definition 



Setting the Course 



Once the Management Conference has built a framework for 

 identifying, negotiating, and solving problems, it is ready to embark 

 on other tasks. The Conference begins to "take the pulse" of the 

 estuary, determining the state of its health and the reasons for its 

 decline, and taking early corrective action if possible. The process 

 entails examining symptoms for probable causes, testing 

 hypotheses for actual causes, and defining the most pressing 

 problems. Known as "characterization and problem definition," this 

 phase provides the objective basis used to develop action 

 strategies for the estuary's Comprehensive Conservation and 

 Management Plan. 



Characterization is the description of the 



quality of the estuary, defining its problems 



and linking problems to causes. 



Generally, a Management Conference is convened because there 

 are obvious problems in the estuary. These may include, for 

 instance, decline in a popular recreational or commercial fish 

 species, contamination of beaches, kills of fish, or extensive bloom 

 of algae. Although these occurrences are often referred to as 

 "perceived problems," they actually are symptoms of water pollu- 

 tion. The challenge to the Conference, working with the STAC, is 

 to separate these symptoms from their causes or sources. Fre- 

 quently, some symptoms may be addressed by regulatory agency 

 actions while scientists examine data to determine the exact cause. 

 All participants, expressing their different economic, aesthetic, 

 health, and recreational concerns, will help determine which 

 problems will be addressed during characterization. 



The scientific investigations and reports resulting from charac- 

 terization must be translated into plain English, telling a story about 

 the estuary that the public can understand. The importance of this 

 step cannot be stressed strongly enough. The success of an 

 estuary program depends on public understanding of the estuary's 

 problems and public support for enacting prescribed remedies. 



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