Characterization of A Report developed by Coastal and Marine Point 97, SeaPlan, and the Surfrider Foundation for Recreational the Northeast Regional Activity in the U.S. Planning Body Northeast October 2015 Abstract Primary Authors: To support ocean planning efforts in the Northeast, Point97, the Jennifer Bloeser, Director of Operations, Point97 Surfrider Foundation and SeaPlan conducted a study for the Cheryl Chen, Director of Client Services, Point97 Northeast Regional Planning Body to characterize coastal and marine recreational activities. In order to fill a regional need to Melissa Gates, Northeast Regional Manager, better understand the spatial patterns of important recreational Surfrider Foundation activities in New England, the study focused on collecting information on commercial whale watching, SCUBA diving, sailing Andy Lipsky, Senior Partner, SeaPlan races and regattas, sportfish tournaments, competitive board and Kate Longley-Wood, Project Manager, SeaPlan paddle events, as well as individual uses, such as beach going, wildlife viewing, surfing, and non-motorized boating (e.g. Northeast Regional Planning Body Project kayaking). The study team collaborated with industry representatives from the various recreational sectors, including Managers: whale watch operators, underwater explorers, surf and dive shop John Weber, Northeast Ocean Planning Staff owners, and sailing event organizers, to help guide the development, execution, and review of the study components. Katie Lund, Northeast Ocean Planning Staff Using a combination of online survey tools and in-person Project Steering Committee participatory mapping techniques, the study used complementary methodologies to gather data by targeting both the expertise of Jamie Carter, National Oceanic and Atmospheric recreational industry leaders as well as individuals who recreate along the coast. Study limitations were specific to each unique Administration (NOAA) data collection approach and reflect the challenges of reaching a Michele DesAutels, United States Coast Guard diverse set of stakeholders. The resulting datasets fill a gap in the understanding of recreational use in the Northeast through Grover Fugate, Rhode Island Coastal Resources depictions of whale watching areas and transit routes, SCUBA Management Council diving areas, landside locations of marine events and spatial data points that characterize non-consumptive activities from Jeff Herter, New York State Department of State individual users. Products from this work are available on the (NYS DOS) Northeast Regional Planning Body’s website (neoceanplanning.org) and the Northeast Ocean Data Portal Dan Hubbard, United States Coast Guard (northeastoceandata.org). Dave Kozak, Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection Office of Long Island Sound Programs This project has been financed in part by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The views expressed Jennifer McCann, University of Rhode Island Coastal herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the Resources Center and Rhode Island Sea Grant views of NOAA. The mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation Nick Napoli, Northeast Ocean Planning Staff for use. Betsy Nicholson, NOAA The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation provided additional Matt Nixon, Maine Coastal Program funding for this project. Liz Podowski, New York Department of State Prassede Vella, Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management Chris Williams, New Hampshire Coastal Program ii Acknowledgements This project would not have been possible without the contributions of ocean recreation industry representatives, government, and non-governmental organizations. Effective collaboration among these groups occurred in all phases of the project, from developing its methodology to reviewing results. Katie Lund and John Weber, Northeast ocean planning staff, provided project leadership, while a Project Steering Committee composed of members and staff of the Northeast Regional Planning Body offered additional project direction and review of this report. The project team collaborated closely with the University of Rhode Island Coastal Resources Center and Rhode Island Sea Grant through their work to update the Rhode Island Ocean Special Area Management Plan. Jamie Carter, Mimi D’Iorio, Danielle Molnar, and Betsy Nicholson from NOAA provided additional support and training for the participatory mapping workshops. A number of industry experts and agency staff provided key guidance on study scoping, development and outreach. These individuals included Regina Asmutis-Silvia (Whale and Dolphin Conservation), Tyson Bottenus (Sailors for the Sea), John Boardman (MA Division of Marine Fisheries), Jessica Damon (Odyssey Whale Watch), Stephanie Helms (Gulf of Maine Racing Association), Jesse Henry (Gulf of Maine Racing Association), Laura Howes (Boston Harbor Cruises), Jen Kennedy (Blue Ocean Society), Zack Klyver (Bar Harbor Whale Watch), Heather Knowles (Northern Atlantic Dive Expeditions), Artie Kopelman (Coastal Research and Education Society of Long Island), Matthew Lawrence (NOAA), Pete Reynolds (Granite State Whale Watch), Dianna Schulte (Blue Ocean Society), Paul Sieswerda (Gotham Whale), Eric Takakjian (Quest Marine Services), Charles Witek (Babylon Tuna Club), Rick Zappia (Bay Shore Tuna Club), Nick McGregor (Eastern Surf Magazine), Dan LeMaitre Photography, Paul Girello Photography, Alex Tremblay (Quebec Surf), Vince Brazen (Wheels N Waves), Ryan and Tyler McGill (Summer Sessions Surf Shop), Mark Anastas (Liquid Dreams Surf Shop), Charlie Fox (Maine Surfer’s Union), Crystal Ouimette and Ryan McDemrott (Black Point Surf Shop), Brescian Lander (Acadia Park Kayak Tours), Former Chief Richard Getchell (Aroostook Band of Micmacs and tribal co-lead on the NERPB), Marissa Mazzotta (EPA), Kim Starbuck (Urban Harbors Institute), Isabella Hillman, Christian Lamborghini (Masskiting), Antonio Blasi (Hancock Point Kayak Tours), Natalie Springuel (Maine Sea Grant), Dave Levy (Narragansett Surf & Skate), Sean McQuilken, Jamie McCallum, Crawford Zetterberg, Colin Hynes, Sarah Winter Whelan (American Littoral Society), Jennifer Felt (Conservation Law Foundation), Anne Merwin (Ocean Conservancy), Wendy Lull (Seacoast Science Center), and Rachel Strader (The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation). Additional assistance was provided by other members of the Stakeholder Working Group, which was comprised of 68 industry experts and individuals who provided some level of direct assistance in the Individual User and Competitive Board and Paddle events survey scoping, outreach, securing meeting venues, and/or review of data. For a comprehensive list, see Appendix R. The College of the Atlantic, the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Gulf of Maine Research Institute, the Long Island Maritime Museum, the NH Coastal Program, the Nahant Dory Club, the Portsmouth Public Library, and the Wildlife Conservation Society all generously provided venues for data collection and vetting workshops. Additionally, the following businesses and institutions provided free space for study outreach presentations: University of Connecticut, Eco House, Eastern Mountain Sports, Epic Sports, Cadillac Mountain Sports, Suffolk University's Earth Day event, Barnstable Recreation Department, Northeastern University Environmental Club, Nantasket Beach Resort, The School for Marine Science and Technology, Maine Association of Sea Kayak Guides, Tributary Brewing Company, Southern Maine Sea Kayak Network, University of Vermont’s Banff Mountain Film Festival, and Black Point Surf Shop. Additional assistance was provided by partner nonprofits, industry leaders and individuals who provided direct assistance in the Individual User and Competitive Board and Paddle Events survey outreach efforts. For a comprehensive list, see Appendix S. Additional staff expertise and technical assistance for the project was provided by SeaPlan staff members Abra Berkowitz, Adam Dietz, Kate Hanrahan, Molly Morse, John Ryan-Henry, Kim Starbuck, Megan Ware, Peter Zaykoski; Surfrider Foundation’s Environmental Director, Pete Stauffer; and Point97 staff members Drew Seminara and Daniel Crowther. iii Executive Summary Coastal and marine recreation provides significant economic and social benefits to coastal communities of the U.S. Northeast region. It is important to understand how and where people use the coast and ocean as a first step towards better management of the natural resources integral to coastal and marine recreation. The Northeast Regional Planning Body (NERPB) recognized the need to fill this data gap and thus partnered with Point 97, SeaPlan, and Surfrider Foundation (referred to as the Team), to engage regional stakeholders in the collection and development of spatial data sets to represent coastal and marine recreation use patterns in the Northeast region (i.e., from Long Island Sound and the south shore of Long Island north through the Gulf of Maine). Stakeholder knowledge and input grounded the project throughout, and contributed to the development of study goals, scope, design, and review of draft products. Due to the diverse nature of stakeholder groups who recreate in the study area and in response to stakeholder feedback, the team created a series of customized data collection approaches. Specifically, the team utilized two complementary methodologies that collected data on the following recreational activities: 1. Industry leader surveys Whale