Perspective 



Increases in coastal population and attendant demands for land, food and 

 water, energy, and recreation are giving rise to greater pressures for inten- 

 sive and often conflicting uses of a nation's coastal regions. 



By the year 2000, the U.S. population will increase by about 60 per- 

 cent while GNP and disposable personal income are expected to increase 

 three- to four-fold. Thus, production of goods and demand for services will 

 far outstrip population increase. This rising standard of living, together with 

 the growing coastal concentrations of our population shown in Figure 1 1-6, 

 will add to the competition for the Nation's limited coastal resources, with 

 the development of marine industries contributing to coastal economics.^ 



As significant as the rapid growth of urban population is the sharp rise 

 in leisure time available for recreational use. With nearly one-third of the 

 Nation's population concentrated in the major coastal cities and more than 

 double that number near the shoreline, it can be expected that coastal areas 

 will be subject to increasing pressure for recreation. Table II-3 summarizes 

 the dramatic rise expected in coastal recreation participants. 



Table 11-3 — Growth in Selected Coastal Recreational Activities 



Participants 

 Type of Recreation (millions) 



1964 1975 



Swimming 33 40 



Surfing 1 4 



Skin diving 1 3 



Pleasure boating 20 50 



Sport fishing 8 16 



National Park and Forest recreation 18 44 



Source: Departments of Commerce, Interior, and Transportation. 



This increased use of the Coastal Zone will contribute to employment, 

 land development, and investment at a very high rate. But accompanying 

 these developments will be the problems of public access to coastal lands, 

 waste disposal, and natural degradation of the coastline. Modern industrial 

 societies create liquid, gas, and solid wastes at rates faster than the population 

 growth itself. Coastal populations will of necessity increase their total annual 

 expenditures to dispose of liquid and solid municipal wastes. 



- Table H-8 of "Marine Science Affairs — A Year of Plans and Progress," March 

 1968, presents statistics on employment in selected marine industries on our coasts. 



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