6S 



The Commission recommends that the 

 Congress establish a National Seashore 

 Boundary Commission to fix the baselines 

 from which to measure the territorial sea 

 and areas covered by the Submerged 

 Lands Act of 1953 and to determine the 

 seaward lateral boundaries between the 

 States. The boundary lines should be de- 

 scribed in terms of geographic or plane 

 coordinates for each State. The determi- 

 nations of the Boundary Commission 

 should be subject to appropriate judicial 

 review. 



Surveys and Inventories 



Acquisition of better information about the 

 phj'sical, economic, and biological character- 

 istics and potentials of the coastal zone is a 

 first step toward more rational management. 

 Survey information is needed nationally so 

 planning for local development may sup- 

 port national objectives and be related real- 

 istically to national priorities. These data will 

 provide the basic framework for more de- 

 tailed State plans. 



Because the many uses of the coastal zone 

 are interdependent, thei'e should be a single 

 inventory embracing all aspects of coastal 

 development. Port improvements and dredg- 

 ing plans then could be developetl with due 

 regard for their effects on fisheries and rec- 

 reation. The physical attributes of the coastal 

 zone would be considered in the relation to 

 economic and ecological implications. 



However, a totally comprehensive analysis 

 of national coa.stal jwtentials appears beyond 

 present capabilities: the task is simply too 

 large and complex for a total approach. In- 

 stead, it is more realistic to pursue studies of 

 port development, recreation, shoreline ero- 

 sion, pollution, and estuarine ecological char- 

 acteristics separately but in coordination with 



one another. Three broad survej'S are either 

 underway or Iiave been proposed: an estua- 

 rine inventory, a coastal erosion study, and 

 a ports and harbors study. 



The Commission recommends that the 

 National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

 Agency participate in major coastal sur- 

 veys, identify areas of common interest, 

 and coordinate plans to avoid overlap and 

 incompatibilities. 



Estuarine Inventory 



A survey of estuaries was authorized by the 

 Congress in the Clean "Water Restoration Act 

 of 1966. This broad survey is being conducted 

 by the Federal Water Pollution Control Ad- 

 ministration of the Department of the Inte- 

 rior. Public Law 90-454, passed by the 

 Congress in 1968, further extended the scope 

 of the Department of the Interior's estuarine 

 study to include a complete inventory of the 

 Nation's estuaries (including the Great 

 Lakes), their present uses, their ecological 

 characteristics, and their potential in order 

 to determine the desirability of acquiring 

 estuarine wetlands for public use. This study 

 is to be made by the Fish and Wildlife Serv- 

 ice. The 1966 Act requires that the Secretary 

 of the Interior submit to the Congress no 

 later than Jan. 30, 1970, a report of his study 

 and recommendations for legislative action. 

 The report is to include recommendations 

 regarding the feasibility and desirability of 

 establishing a "nationwide system of estua- 

 rine areas, and the terms, conditions and au- 

 thorities to govern such a system." 



The two estuarine surveys under the Secre- 

 tary' of the Interior should be complementary. 

 For the surveys to be fully useful, their eval- 

 uation of conservation, land acquisition, and 

 pollution problems should take account of 

 commercial, industrial, recreational, and resi- 

 dential uses. 



