Tell us about your ocean and coastal activities: Take the MARCO survey!

​Survey is open through September 5, 2017 

​States in the Mid-Atlantic Region (i.e. Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Virginia) are working closely to better understand how and where people in the region participate in recreational activities such as surfing, boating, whale watching, birding, diving and more in the ocean and in coastal areas, and what concerns you may have.
 
Through the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Oceans (MARCO), states are conducting an online survey of people who participate in ocean and coastal recreational activities.   The purpose of the survey is to understand what types of recreational activities people take part in throughout the Mid-Atlantic region,  and what concerns recreational ocean users may have about other current and possible uses of ocean and coastal resources. This information will be used by States’ Coastal Management Programs to guide ocean and coastal management policies and programs and help inform Ocean Planning in the region.
 
The survey only takes 15-20 minutes to complete and will close on September 5, 2017. The more recreational users that take the survey, the more valuable the information is to inform ocean and coastal policies and programs.
 
The American Littoral Society wants to ensure that conserving the ocean’s resources is fundamental to any future plans for the ocean and we believe that stakeholder input is of the utmost importance.
 
The way we use the ocean is expanding rapidly. Offshore shipping traffic is increasing, plans for offshore energy projects are becoming a reality, and agencies are planning long-term beach replenishment projects that could negatively impact resources by sand mining from important places that serve as prime fishing areas or habitat for developing fish.
 
That’s why over the last several years, we have been working to ensure a healthy mid-Atlantic ocean through the Mid-Atlantic Regional Ocean Action Plan. Regional ocean planning allows us to holistically look at proposed uses and the health of our ocean. We hope you’ll help contribute to the process by taking  this survey before September 5th.  Thank you and happy summer!