in our economy, accounting for $3 billion in related expenditures in 1969. 

 An increasing demand for marinas, harbors, aids to navigation, and protec- 

 tion is clearly evident. Working toward safer recreational boating, the 

 Coast Guard has negotiated 39 agreements for Federal/State safety pro- 

 gram coordination; legislation has been proposed providing for a national 

 boating safety program for small boat construction and performance and for 

 assistance to State programs. ESSA assists the small boat enthusiast through 

 its nautical chart program and marine weather forecasts. 



The Fish and Wildlife Service, as a part of its total program, provides 

 information pertinent to a wide range of recreational and conservation 

 problems. As one example of its contribution to multi-use development and 

 management in the coastal zone, during 1968 it screened some 5,100 applica- 

 tions for construction permits and found that approximately 5 percent of 

 these would have adverse effects upon fish and wildlife resources. 



The Bureau of Sports Fisheries and Wildlife continued its wide-ranging 

 studies supporting recreational fishing. Its marlin and sailfish tagging pro- 

 gram has traced the migration of these species throughout the Pacific. 

 Experiments aimed at creating artificial fishing reefs have shown that scrap 

 tires are the best materials, being easy to handle, attractive to fish and related 

 organisms, durable, and not producing deleterious decay products. 



Coastal Projects of Federal Agencies 



The programs of the Federal agencies, often carried out in collaboration 

 with State and local governments, are aimed toward a sequential approach 

 to coastal problems. It is first necessary to gather facts on the coastal zone, 

 to provide the data base from which further research and affirmative action 

 start. This includes not only mapping the coastline and adjacent waters, 

 but also the establishment of ecological baselines. From this information, 

 research projects to provide a better understanding of the situation, and to 

 develop techniques for corrective measures can be developed. Pilot projects 

 to test the efficacy of these measures can then be run as a prelude to full- 

 scale coastal improvements. A sampling of these interrelated activities not 

 covered in other sections of the report, include the following: 



1. A 2-year project of monthly determinations of concentrations of iron, 

 manganese, and zinc in estuarine sediments and water was completed by 

 the Geological Survey. This will serve as a valuable baseline to evaluate 

 possible changes from radiation pollution. 



2. Engineering studies are being carried out by the Coast Guard, working 

 toward the development of booms to contain oil spilled in the open ocean, 

 and for the design and fabrication of an air-transportable, high-capacity 

 pumping system, and emergency tankage, to quickly remove oil from a trou- 

 bled vessel before spillage. Prototype testing of the latter system is scheduled 

 for 1970. 



3. The adverse effects of sewage sludge dumping in the New York bight 

 are being investigated by the Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Sport 

 Fisheries and Wildlife. The Corps has completed a pilot study of the possible 

 harmful effects of dumping polluted dredged materials in the Great Lakes. 

 This study is now under review. 



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