[SEMCO] (no subject)

[Steve Tucker]

ORONO, ME - Fishermen forced off the docks in Alabama. Waiting lists for
moorings in Massachusetts. Public paths to the beach blocked in California.
Commercial waterfronts eclipsed by private residences in Maine. Coasts
transformed by condominiums in North Carolina. Marinas and boat ramps
crowded in Florida. These scenes are not featured on the postcards of today,
yet they are real and they are happening all around the U.S. coastline,
according to a report released today by Maine Sea Grant. 

The report, Access to the Waterfront: Issues and Solutions Across the
Nation, contains the results of a survey of over 140 coastal managers and
extension agents conducted by Maine Sea Grant, Hawaii Sea Grant, the
National Sea Grant network and Coastal Zone Management programs. The survey
found that access to and from the ocean is a challenge in many communities.
With nowhere to swim and nowhere to land, recreational, commercial, and
industrial users of the coast are competing for access, placing pressure on
America's shorelines as a tide of demographic and economic change sweeps
through coastal towns, harbors, and communities. 

Respondents to the survey cited multiple reasons for these changes,
including increasing population and development, rising coastal property
values, declines in fishing and other industries, and shifting land
ownership patterns. Resulting pressure on remaining public areas and
infrastructure also means increased pressure on fragile coastal habitat, and
coastal managers have limited resources to address these challenges.
Disasters like hurricanes magnify and exacerbate conflicts, as detailed in a
special section of the report about access issues in the wake of hurricanes
Katrina and Rita. 

According to Natalie Springuel of Maine Sea Grant, lead author of the
report, one of the main goals of the survey and report was not only to cover
the scope of the issue nationwide, but also to highlight the various
solutions that communities are developing throughout the country. 

"This report is full of stories from places around the country where
specific tools have been used with great success, so there is a good news
message, too," said Springuel. Private entities are preserving land,
fishermen are partnering with land trusts, and citizens are voting for bonds
to protect working waterfronts. States are implementing tax relief programs,
while towns are revising zoning ordinances and mapping access points, as Sea
Grant and Coastal Zone Management programs are responding to the needs of
coastal residents. 

"It is evident that these issues are of critical importance to people all
over the country, and we hope this project helps communities, businesses,
and individuals to respond to these challenges more effectively," said Maine
Sea Grant Director Paul Anderson, who presented the survey results today in
Norfolk, VA, at Working Waterways and Waterfronts 2007, a symposium hosted
by Virginia Sea Grant. 

"We hope this report prompts discussion of a nationwide strategy to address
coastal access conflicts at the local, regional, and national level,"
Springuel concludes, "Open access to and from the water, supported by a
national strategy, will ensure that our nation is vibrant and diverse, and
that the delicate ecosystems where land meets water continue to sustain and
inspire future generations."

The full report is available at  <http://www.seagrant.umaine.edu/index.htm>
http://www.seagrant.umaine.edu/index.htm, or in hard copy from Maine Sea
Grant, 207-581-1435,  <mailto:kvillarreal at maine.edu> kvillarreal at maine.edu.

 

 

Steven M. Tucker

Cape Cod Commercial Hook Fishermen's Association

210 E Orleans Road

Chatham, Massachusetts  USA

(508) 945-2432 x14



 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.whoi.edu/pipermail/semco/attachments/20070510/70f1f2dd/attachment.htm 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 1846 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://mailman.whoi.edu/pipermail/semco/attachments/20070510/70f1f2dd/attachment.jpeg