most outdoor recreation activities.°® A similar con- 
clusion was reached by the Stratton Commission in 
its investigation of ocean and coastal issues released 
in 1969: “Outdoor recreation is becoming a massive 
tush to the water,” concluded its Panel on Marine 
Resources.'"° The most comprehensive evaluation of 
recreation to date, the Report of the Outdoor 
Recreation Resources Commission in 1962, reached 
the same conclusion.*"? 
As a result, the most direct, personal public in- 
volvement with the coastal region for the general 
public is related to the quest for recreational experi- 
ences. The lure of the coast attracts massive numbers 
of people from the interior of the Nation as well 
as from the adjacent coastal States themselves. There 
are several indications that this is so: 
e Recreational Fishing—In 1970, the Bureau of the 
Census found that about 9.5 million people over 
12 years old went saltwater fishing three or more 
times per year and spent more than $7.50 per 
trip. Another study by the National Marine 
Fisheries Service, which included crabbing, clam- 
ming, and oystering, found nearly 11 million ma- 
rine recreational fishermen in 13 northeastern 
States. The rate of increase in fishing participation 
was estimated at over 6 percent per year.’°? The 
Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service 
estimates participation in 1975 has grown to 207 
million days of saltwater fishing, resulting in the 
expenditure of $3.4 billion. 
© Boating—Recreational boating is a rapidly grow- 
ing activity. The Coast Guard in 1976 estimated 
that there were 12.7 million recreational boats in 
the country; three-quarters were powerboats.1° 
e Beach Recreation—A broad cross-section of the 
general public uses coastal beaches as a recrea- 
tional outlet. Millions visit the public beaches 
near urban areas, such as Jones Beach or Coney 
Island in the New York City metropolitan area, 
and the beaches of Southern California. More 
than 70 million visited Long Island public beaches 
39 U.S. Department of the Interior. The Recreation Imperative: 
The Nationwide Outdoor Recreation Plan. Published by the U.S. 
Congress, Senate, Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, 
93d Cong., 2d sess. Washington, D.C., Government Printing 
Office, 1974, p. 171. 
100 Panel Reports of the Commission on Marine Science, 
Engineering, and Resources. Volume 3, Marine Resources and 
Legal-Political Arrangements for Their Development, Panel VII, 
Report of the Panel on Marine Resources. Washington, D.C., 
Government Printing Office, 1969, pp. VIJ-235. 
101 U.S. Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission. 
Outdoor Recreation in America. Washington, D.C., Government 
Printing Office, 1962, p. 4. 
102U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration, Recreation—Marine Promise: Na- — 
tional Conference on Marine Recreation. Washington, D.C., 
1975, p. 74. 
103 U.S. Coast Guard. Nationwide Boating Survey. Springfield, 
Va., National Technical Information Service, 1975. 
nearly 10 years ago, and the number is even larger 
today.’ 
Overall park use in the Nation is on the increase, 
after a temporary setback during the fuel shortage 
of 1974. The National Park Service reported nearly 
239 million visitors in 1975, up 7.5 percent from the 
previous year.’° Similar increases were recorded in 
National Seashores and other marine-oriented facil- 
ities. 
To the generally middle-income recreational activ- 
ities of boating or offshore fishing, which are capital- 
intensive, must be added the recreational needs of 
the residents of the inner cities of the large coastal 
cities who are generally less mobile and less able to 
afford expensive recreational activities. Some of the 
needs of inner city residents are met by the parks 
and other public areas along the coast; however, 
additional needs of this urban group must be con- 
sidered in the context of the inner city where the 
people live.'°° 
Marine recreation is an economic stimulant. Sec- 
ond homes and commercial developments serving the 
recreational public generate tax revenues for States 
and local units uf government. The tourist “industry” 
in general is enormous; according to the National 
Tourism Resources Review Commission, Americans 
spent $22.1 billion on travel and tourism in 1960— 
61 and $47.5 billion in 1970, and will spend an 
estimated $119.7 billion in 1980. Most of the activ- 
ity takes place during the summer (36.5 percent), 
and the car was the means of transportation in 681% 
percent of the cases.'°’ A major part of the expendi- 
tures for travel and tourism was spent in the coastal 
region. 
There are several major public policy issues in- 
volved in meeting the Nation’s marine recreational 
needs: (1) provision for public access to coastal 
areas, (2) provision of recreational opportunities 
equitably among various sectors of society, and 
(3) problems of dedicating public areas for specific 
uses that restrict alternative use by others. 
The Federal Government is limited in its ability 
to deal effectively with these problems. Much of the 
responsibility and legal authority lies with the States. 
The access-ownership question is intimately tied to 
State law and local customs. The equitable redis- 
tribution of recreational opportunities among the 
various sectors of society could involve major infu- 
104 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. National Shoreline Study. 
Washington, D.C., Government Printing Office, 1974, p. 182. 
105 U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 
Status September 1976. Washington, D.C., Government Printing 
Office, 1976. 
106 New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. 
Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan. Trenton, 
N.J., 1973, p. 137. 
107 U:S. National Tourism Resources Review Commission. 
Destination USA, Washington, D.C., Government Printing Office, 
1973, p. 1. 
IV-48 
