43 



strong national interest in the effective management and protection 

 of the estuarine and coastal zone for the following reasons : 



(1) The pressui'^es of population growth and economic develop- 

 ment, including requirements for industrial, commercial, resi- 

 dential development, recreation, exploitation of mineral resources 

 and fossil fuels, transportation and other navigation, waste dis- 

 posal, and exploitation of fish and other living marine resources, 

 impose an increasing number of conflicting demands upon the 

 finite resources of the coastal zone. 



(2) Estuaries, marshlands, and other parts of the coastal zone 

 contain extremely valuable habitat for fish and wildlife which 

 move beyond State boundaries; such areas are vital to the life 

 support of a major part of the Nation's commercial and sport 

 fisheries harvest ; such areas, particularly the estuaries, constitute 

 ecological systems which are susceptible to destruction and dis- 

 ruption by man. 



(3) Continued unplanned or uncoordinated development ac- 

 tivities in the coastal zone pose an immediate threat of irreversible 

 harm to the coastal zone and its resources and a loss of the benefits 

 it offers. 



(4) The coastal zone is a valuable area for multiple economic, 

 recreational, and resource uses. 



(5) The interest in the coastal zone extends to the citizens of all 

 the States, and is not limited to the citizens in the coastal States. 



POLICY AND OBJECTIVES OF A COMPREHENSIVE NATIONAL ESTUARINE AND 

 COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM 



The Recommended NatiorwiL Policy 



Achievement of the best use of the values of the estuarine and coastal 

 zones through a balance between: (a) multipurpose development; (b) 

 conservation ; and (c) preservation over both the short and long range. 

 Priority consideration should be given to those resources that are non- 

 renewable and to maintaining those resources and uses which are 

 estuarine-dependent. It shall also recognize that the primary responsi- 

 bility for management of the estuarine and coastal zones rests with 

 the States. 



This recommended national policy recognizes the vital need in pres- 

 ent and future programs to: 



Encourage urban and industrial growth and the resulting land 

 use in a manner to preserve the maximum of the estuarine and 

 coastal zone resources and to insure the greatest number of bene- 

 ficial uses. 



Recognize that estuarine-dependent land uses require preference 

 and that some uses such as residential and some industrial uses 

 do not need shoreline locations. 



Conserve the estuarine and coastal environment to sustain and 

 enhance its nursery value, its wildlife habitat value, and its com- 

 mercial fisheries value. 



Develop and make accessible the many forms of outdoor recrea- 

 tion and the aesthetic values offered by the estuaries and coastal 

 areas. 



Reduce to an acceptable minimum the adverse effect of man's 



