Marine Science Affairs 



Figure IV-1 — Landward Limit of the Coastal Zone 



SOURCE: COMMITTEE ON MULTIPLE USE OF THE COASTAL ZONE. 



temperate climate and opportunities for swimming, sport fishing, and boat- 

 ing. 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 opportunities there. Figure IV-2 exemplifies the in- 

 creasing demand for coastal recreation facilities. 



Regrettably, any description of the Coastal Zone must also include a 

 description of deterioration of the environment itself — by pollution of bays 

 and estuaries, by hurricane damage and wave erosion, and by inadvertent 

 human abuse of a fragile ecology that forms the habitat of important fish 

 and wildlife. For example, the Coastal Zone is the most important habitat 

 of domestic commercial fishery resources supplying 90 to 95 percent of the 

 total U.S. catch; but our estuaries are being altered, directly threatening 

 many of these valuable fishery resources. 



The scope, diversity, and significance of activities in the Coastal Zone 

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

 volved in its use and management — private individuals who own shore- 

 land; industrial, conservation, and recreation interests; local and State 

 governments; and the Federal Government. Despite obvious advantages, 

 Coastal Zone lands and waters have only rarely been subjected to coordinated 



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