Marine Science Affairs 



industries have found it advantageous to locate there because of proximity 

 to ocean transport, labor and product markets. 



With a burgeoning population that increasingly finds time and money for 

 water-related recreation, the American people have increasingly sought the 

 aesthetic benefits of the Coastal Zone — its temperate climate and oppor- 

 tunities for swimming, sport fishing, and boating. Tens of millions live 

 or vacation at coastal resorts, retirement homes, and beach cottages. Millions 

 regularly head for beaches on weekends. Many others find business oppor- 

 tunities there. 



Rational Uses of the Coastal Zone 



Thus we seek to use the Coastal Zone m its natural form far more inten- 

 sively. We also seek to modify it to suit our purposes ever more effectively. 

 As municipalities look increasingly seaward for new habitable areas, or 

 perhaps ofi'shore airports, careful planning of urban and ocean activities 

 becomes essential. 



Development of filled-in marshland along estuaries may affect nursery 

 grounds of commercial fish species. Those who dredge and fill along the 

 coasts, or develop harbors, must anticipate changes in shoreline circulation 

 patterns. Sanitation problems associated with ducks, gulls, and other marine 

 birds near populated areas become important. Waste disposal must be 

 related to the assimilation limits of nearby waters. 



This area of inshore waters is ecologically fragile and complex in its natural 

 state. It is nevertheless subject to ever more intense pressures for varied 

 uses which may both conflict among themselves and degrade the natural 

 environment. 



The scope, diversity, and significance of problems that arise in the Coastal 

 Zone are so broad that practically all institutions of our society have become 

 involved in its management — private individuals who own shoreland, indus- 

 trial interests, local and State Governments, and the Federal Government. 



Only rarely have lands and waters of the Coastal Zone been subjected 

 to planned and controlled development. Further, the planning which has 

 been done has not always resulted in effective allocation of resource uses 

 among competitors. As a consequence, the trend in some places has been 

 toward single-purpose uses, determined by immediate economic advantages 

 to individuals, firms, and local governments. Industrial development; trans- 

 portation and commerce; oil, gas, and mineral production; private water- 



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