Access a U.S. State Analysis
Access the analyses through either the interactive map below, the summary table below, or the navigation menu on the left.
U.S. State Analyses
Each U.S. ocean coast state1 has a unique landscape and seascape, as well as its own way of managing ocean and coastal resources, which affect the ability of practitioners to implement Marine Conservation Agreements (MCAs). Given the differences in state management regimes, state-level analyses can be helpful in determining the role and feasibility of MCAs in specific geographies. As such, this toolkit provides both in-depth and initial analyses for various coastal states in the United States.2 If MCAs are not well established in any given state, practitioners should consider augmenting the information provided here by using the Field Guide to identify the relevant steps and issues to consider before undertaking an MCA project. A comprehensive listing of state agency contact information can be found within Contacts and within each state analysis page.
U.S. State Analyses Summary Map
U.S. State Analyses Summary Table
1 While Great Lakes states are coastal states under the federal Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA), the focus of this toolkit is on marine—or saltwater—conservation. U.S. territories, also included under the CZMA, have been omitted only for lack of time. We hope to include them in the future.
2 Sources of information for the U.S. State analyses include descriptions and evaluations of state coastal management programs available from the NOAA web site, and the increasingly rich information available on state agency web sites. We also frequently consulted the Submerged Lands Survey: Update 2000 (download .pdf, 491k), presented at the 19th Annual International Submerged Lands Management Conference, and the Surfrider Foundation’s State of the Beach (2007). While we cannot guarantee the accuracy of everything in the state analyses, every effort has been made to appropriately characterize state management regimes. Please Contact Us if you discover errors or significant omissions.