tial developments and, in limited areas, industry. 

 Large stretches of shoreline have been preempted 

 for governmental use by the military and for 

 liighway and other transportation uses. The preser- 

 vation of shoreline for wildlife refuges precludes 

 use of some sites for mass recreation purposes. 



A recent survey by the Fish and Wildlife Service 

 on conflicts between sport and commercial fisher- 

 men reports: 



Too often conflict issues are permitted to reach 

 emotional heights where scientific evidence is 

 ignored and reason and compromise are pushed 

 aside. Then, misdirected public opinion and organ- 

 ized vested interests take over to influence expe- 

 dient political actions that can only lead to more 

 bitterness and hostility. 



Extraction of mineral and fuel resources, which 

 commonly requires the erection of aesthetically 

 undesirable structures, and which may result in 

 pollution of the waters, is often incompatible with 

 recreational use of the marine environment. Yet it 

 is in the public interest to exploit these mineral 

 and fuel resources, provided we can devise ways to 

 manage their exploitation without damages to 

 other users that exceed the net benefits obtained. 



There are also conflicting demands among the 

 recreation seekers; fishermen, swimmers, surfers, 

 power boaters, and water skiers are not always the 

 best of neighbors. Moreover, increasing public 

 access through highway construction to naturally 

 primitive scenic areas detracts from the wild and 

 isolated nature of the sites, raising conflicts with 

 naturalists and bird watchers. 



Water quality is as important to marine recrea- 

 tion as the amount of surface, miles of shoreline, 

 or location. Polluted water seriously restricts 

 recreational use and esthetic values and reduces 

 fish and wildlife populations. 



Pollution by human or industrial waste is only 

 one aspect of the problem. The silt load, tempera- 

 ture, and nuisance aquatic plants also affect the 

 usability of water for recreation. As water be- 

 comes more polluted, recreational uses are more 

 restricted. Contact activities such as swimming, 

 skindiving, and skiing are foreclosed; even boating 

 opportunities are shunned. 



Although the highway building program of the 

 last decade has provided generally better access to 

 marine recreational areas, serious problems remain. 



There is frequently inadequate parking space at 

 marine facilities. Mass transportation is not 

 available in most cases. And having arrived at a 

 beach, what riglit does a person have to be there? 

 is walking on beach land in the category of 

 trespassing where property above the high-water 

 mark is privately owned? Should public easements 

 be acquired for such uses? Local governments have 

 been unwilling or unable to cope with this 

 problem. Certain States have enacted legislation to 

 define these rights, but greater attention to this 

 problem by all coastal States and municipalities is 

 urgently needed. 



Allocation of coastal area resources between 

 recreation and other uses will require the soundest 

 planning and the most positive action that can be 

 brought to bear. But it is necessary to define 

 precisely what we wish to accomplish. 



II. DEMAND 



The demand for marine-oriented recreation 

 opportunities will continue to grow more rapidly 

 than the population. The move toward salt waters 

 and large fresh water bodies, such as the Great 

 Lakes, will result from these factors: the increas- 

 ingly crowded conditions under which people live 

 and play on land, which will cause many to look 

 to less crowded conditions for recreation; rising 

 personal income coupled with increased leisure 

 time and mobility; and the rapid growth of 

 recreational technology which will introduce new 

 forms of marine sports and opportunities. 



Demographers estimate that the U.S. popula- 

 tion will approximately double by the year 2000, 

 and 1 75 million people will be living in the coastal 

 zone, including the Great Lakes. The ORRRC 

 found, moreover, that increases in the demand for 

 many types of outdoor recreation far outstrips 

 population increases. For example, between 1950 

 and 1965, while the population was increasing 

 from 152 million to 194 million (29 per cent), the 

 number of fishing licenses increased from 15.3 

 million to 24.9 million, (63 per cent) and the 

 number of outboard motors in use more than 

 tripled, rising from 2 milhon to 6.7 million during 

 this period. 



The Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife 

 estimates that at present there are 8.3 million salt 

 water sport fishermen. In 1965, these anglers 

 fished about 97 million man days and spent an 



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