|
PROPOSED
MEASURES: PROTECTED AREAS AND USE RESTRICTIONS
|
Acreage of coastal
waters off limits to all fishing. Such restrictions are the most
stringent type of fishing restriction and are often relatively long-term.
(Fig. 1)
Acreage and
locations where oil and gas activities are prohibited, allowed, or ongoing.
In some areas, oil and gas development is a major use of coastal
waters, but significant areas are off-limits to such activity. (Fig.
2)
Location of
coastal and marine protected areas. There are many types and degrees
of use restrictions placed on coastal and marine areas. At present,
there is no way to report on the type and degree of restriction on various
public areas, nor on voluntary and mandatory restrictions on the use
of private lands. Locations of protected areas are presented as a partial
measure. (Fig. 3)
Area of coastal
waters and watersheds with increased limits on pollutant loading.
Reduced pollutant loadings are required in some areas in order to meet
water quality standards. (Fig. 4)
There are very
few consistent data on the use, protection, regulation, or management
of coastal waters or lands on the immediate coastal fringe, with the
exception of information on oil and gas activity in federal waters.
Areas
with "No-Take" Fishing Restrictions (1)
Technical Note |
|
|
|
Number
of Areas
|
Total
Area
|
|
Monterey
Bay National Marine Sanctuary
(No-take areas are state administered)
|
4
|
5.35
square miles
|
|
Florida
Keys National Marine Sanctuary
|
50
|
20.8
square miles
|
|
State
and federal regulations dictate the times and places that fish may
be taken, their size, the types of gear that may be used, and so
on, but few areas prohibit all fishing. Restrictions on the taking
of other marine life, such as kelp or coral, are not shown here. |
| Source:
NOAA, National Ocean Service |
|
| Federal
Oil and Gas Leasing Restrictions (2) Technical
Note |
|
|
Available
for Leasing in 1997-2002 Federal Plan
|
155,781
square miles
|
|
Current
Leases
|
73,269
square miles (8,864 leases)
|
|
Withdrawn
from Leasing until 2012 (Presidential Moratorium)
|
954,219
square miles
|
|
Oil
and Gas Activities Indefinitely Prohibited (National Marine
Sanctuaries)
|
17,975
square miles
|
|
A
five-year planning process is used to identify areas for possible
leasing; other areas have been withdrawn from consideration by presidential
or congressional action. |
| Source:
U.S. Department of the Interior, Minerals Management Service |
|
| Federal
Protected Areas and Oil & Gas Leases (3) Technical
Note |
 |
| Source:
Center for Marine Conservation & U.S. Department of the Interior,
Minerals Management Service |
| Discharge
Permitting (4) |
 |
The Clean
Water Act establishes a separate, typically more stringent, regulatory
program that limits the loading of pollutants into waters that do
not meet ambient water quality standards. These areas must set "total
maximum daily loads" (TMDLs) of pollution, which may lead to
more stringent limits on individual discharge permits and additional
efforts to control nonpoint source pollution. |
|
SUMMARY
OF DATA & OTHER NOTES
|
Data presented
here describe "no-take" zones associated with NOAA’s
National Marine Sanctuaries. There may also be "no-take"
areas that are not associated with these sanctuaries, but
there is no consistent and comprehensive national information
available to report on these areas.
Data concerning
oil and gas activities are for federal waters only. Federal waters,
and thus federal management of oil and gas activities, extend
from 3 miles to 200 miles from shore. States regulate such activities
within their coastal waters, generally up to 3 miles from shore.
(Florida and Texas waters extend to three marine leagues, or 10.36
statute miles.) Trend data for oil and gas leasing are available
but were not obtained in time for inclusion in this prototype
report.
Data are
for federal protected areas only. No consistent and comprehensive
national information is available on restrictions or conservation
measures imposed in different protected areas. No consistent national
information is available regarding local land use and zoning policies
that restrict the use of private shoreline lands, or voluntary
limitations on the use of such lands.
Information
is not currently available on number or extent of TMDLs established
as a result of water quality violations in coastal waters (see
figure caption for discussion).
Please see
the Technical
Notes for additional information.
|
|
