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life histories of marine populations for fishery purposes make a sub- 

 stantial contribution to our knowledge of conditions in marine waters. 

 Fish populations are an indication of the success of pollution control 

 and maintenance of a balanced ecology. 



Forecasting of the effects which proposel physical alterations in 

 estuarine areas will have upon fishery ecology is one of the most im- 

 portant coastal zone services performed by NOAA marine laborator- 

 ies. We have extensive work ui cooperation with State and National 

 conservation agencies to furnish information that vv'ill assist them to 

 maintain adequate habitats, protect spawning and feeding areas, and 

 to provide for fishing activities in the coastal zone as part of multiple- 

 use plans for this area. 



The marine mapping and charting program of NOAA provides for 

 the coastal zone nautical charts and related publications necessary for 

 safe and efficient marine navigation. It also provides the precise sea- 

 ward and coastal boundary delineations necessary for determining 

 ownerships and jurisdictions in the coastal zone. 



Nearly all government agencies, Federal, State, and local, are users 

 of the maps and charts produced by this program. In addition, the 

 shipping industry, port authorities, petroleum and mining industries, 

 and ocean-oriented industries all use these charts. They are also used 

 extensively by recreational boaters and sportsmen. The benefits lie in 

 safe navigation, location of resources, settlemeiit of boundary disputes, 

 coastal development, coastal management and zoning. 



Rapidly expanding marine activities, including offshore drilling 

 and mining, shipping, fisliing, and recreational boating, have created 

 an urgent need for intensified weather and sea forecast and warning 

 services to these diverse marine interests. NOAA has responsibility for 

 providing these forecast and warning services, and does so through 

 vreather summaries and area forecasts of visibility, sea and lake con- 

 ditions tailored to recreationers, fi.shermen, and others. NOAA 

 specially provides forecasts of severe storms and hurricanes which, 

 with their devastating storm surge, can cause both extensive damage 

 and modification of the coastal area. 



These ser\aces are gi'owing as pressure for them increase with the 

 rapidly developing use of the coastal zone. They are a vital service 

 to the daj^-to-day operations in that region and are a basic function 

 which the Federal Government provides. 



In addition to the assistance provided in the day-to-day operational 

 climatological information and data on environmental extremes sup- 

 port the planning for coastal installations and for coastal zone opera- 

 tions by industry and local governments. To support its coastal fore- 

 cast and warning services, NOAA maintains a network of some good 

 sites along the coasts to provide essential data which is supplemental 

 b}^ that collected from coastal radars, ships at sea, and satellites, 



NOAA is also active in the area of environmental effects of marine 

 mining. Local, State and Federal regulatory bodies need information 

 on which to base operational criteria and to give guidance to marine 

 mining activities. The program of NOAA's Marine Minerals Tech- 

 nology Center has initiated a study of the impact of marine mining 

 operations on the environment. 



NOAA also operates environmental data repositories, the National 

 Climatic Center, the National Oceanograph Data Center, and the 



