lands Nationul Park, Buck Island National Monunicnl. Cape; Hatteras 

 National Seashore, and Padre Island National Seashore. 



Similar research by BOR complements that of NPS. Such research 

 tends to cover general recreational topics in accordance with purposes of 

 the Land and Water Conservation Fund — to foster the development of 

 public recreational opportunities at all levels of government. Many BOR 

 projects involve analyses directly applicable to use of the Nation's 

 oceanic and Great Lakes shores, wetlands and adjacent waters. PZxam- 

 ples of current investigations include a project to determine the op- 

 timum carrying capacities of beaches and other recreation resources: a 

 second project evaluates public willingness to pay for th(! use of outdoor 

 recreation areas; and a third surveys public opinion and otherwise deter- 

 mine trends and factors that reflect the demand for. and use of. public 

 recreation areas. 



OTHER SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL STUDIES 



Although there are social and economic dimensions to the projects 

 described above, a number of studies sponsored by the Sea Grant 

 Program are concerned quite specifically with the social and behavioral 

 aspects of man's relation to the sea. One. for example, is an occupational 

 study of shrimp fishermen. The long-range goals of this study are to 

 achieve a better understanding of shrimp fishing as an occupation, the 

 shrimping industry, and the fishing community. The findings should 

 help the fishermen and their families gain a sharpened insight into their 

 own ways of life, their values, beliefs, perceptions, and problems. It 

 should also help public and private agencies (e.g.. public education, 

 health, and welfare departments and the Cooperative Extension Service) 

 to remove hindrances to the attainment of a desirable standard of living 

 and quality of life for fishermen and their families. 



Similar studies of coastal communities are being carried out in set- 

 tings as diverse as the coasts of Oregon and northwest Florida. In one 

 such study, anthropologists are trying to put together a coherent body of 

 information on the social organization, work routines, values, attitudes, 

 and everyday lives of people in a northwest Florida fishing community 

 heavily dependent on living marine resources. This study will provide a 

 basis for developing realistic and socially effective programs of informa- 

 tion dissemination and for guiding technological and economic changes. 



One key to taking the greatest advantage of the economic potential of 

 maritime enterprises involves the maintenance of a stable, predictable 

 supply of experienced labor. One Sea Grant study is trying to pinpoint 

 the social and cultural features associated with the high-turnover rates 

 among workers in Louisiana's offshore service industries. The apparent 

 inability of these crucial industries to maintain a stable labor force has 



41 



