Managing Our Coastlines: A Continuous Effort
It's critical that the nation have healthy coasts and oceans.
- More than half the U.S. population lives on the coast.
- Another 180 million people visit the coasts every year.
- Coastal areas generate billions of dollars in revenue: tourism, industry, seafood, recreational fishing.
- Human health can be affected by ocean water quality.
OCRM partners with state and local governments to help manage these often competing uses of coastal areas in ways that protect coastal habitat and sustain the coastal economy.
Initiatives encourage states and communities to protect their coastal resources. Some initiatives, such as the Coastal Zone Enhancement Program, are directed by Congress. OCRM initiates other programs, such as the shoreline management technical assistance toolbox, in response to requests from state coastal managers.
OCRM and state and local governments work together under the Coastal Zone Management Act to keep America's coasts and oceans healthy.
Coastal Initiatives
- Clean Marinas
- Coastal Strategy
- Community Development Partnership
- Coral Local Action Strategies
- Dock Management
- Enhancement Program
- Shoreline Management