IV-154 



Estuarine use is a complex assortment of interlocking and overlapping 

 types of estuarine resource exploitation. 



All of such uses have value, both individually and as part of the 

 development and use of the entire estuarine resource for the benefit 

 of the present and future national community. The mission of this 

 chapter is to show that the importance and total value of any estu- 

 arine system lie not in the measure of economic value for any par- 

 ticular use, but in multiplicity of use related to the needs of 

 people who live there or otherwise depend on the estuarine resource. 



The approach used is two fold. First, the overall economic develop- 

 ment of the estuarine zone and the economic values of several individ- 

 ual uses show the relationship of one use to other uses. Then the 

 balance of uses in several estuarine systems shows the relationship 

 of community needs to estuarine uses. 



The common denominator in this discussion is people; their economic 

 needs combined with their social desires and values are what deter- 

 mines the socioeconomic demands on the biophysical estuarine environ- 

 ment. 



