Coastal Recreation: More than Fun in the Sun
By Ian A. Bowles, Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs

When you think about today’s pressing coastal and ocean management issues—from

To better understand the economic impact that the coast and ocean have on the Commonwealth’s economy, the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) commissioned a study by the University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute. Released in June of 2006, An Assessment of the Coastal and Marine Economies of Massachusetts found that the Coastal Tourism and Recreation sector of our economy employs more than 119,000 people, with annual wages of almost $2.34 billion. These jobs—from seaside resort managers to bait & tackle vendors—also create what economists call “secondary employment.” (To provide goods and services for these 119,000 people and their families, the Massachusetts economy employs additional teachers, healthcare workers, supermarket employees, etc.) When secondary employment is considered, the total value of the Coastal Tourism and Recreation sector was estimated at $8.7 billion in 2004.

These estimates are based on figures from all of the 7,640 food, entertainment and recreation, and accommodations establishments found in Massachusetts coastal communities. While this study did not distinguish businesses that depend on the coast and/or are part of coastal tourism trade from the recreation/tourism businesses that just happen to be in the coastal zone (e.g., a bowling alley), the figures demonstrate this sector is extremely important to the Massachusetts economy.

As for quality of life, anyone who has strolled along a sandy beach, enjoyed a whale watch tour, or cast in the surf for a striper knows that the coast is priceless. As residents of the Bay State, we are all within hours of some of the finest beaches in the country. And for those looking for seaside activities sans the sand, Massachusetts is renowned for its bustling ports with shopping and fresh seafood, quiet marshlands with world-class bird watching, rocky tide pools teaming with up-close sea life, and boat ramps and marinas to help you get out on the water. As a native or a visitor, if you’ve enjoyed any of these experiences, you know that the coast is an integral part of life in Massachusetts—a place where we can relax, have fun, and connect with the outdoors.

At the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EOEEA), protecting and promoting the coast figure prominently in our mission. Here are some of the ways that EOEEA and its departments and offices actively support coastal recreation in the Commonwealth:

• The Department of Conservation and Recreation manages the state’s 26 ocean beaches—from the 3.8-miles of sandy shoreline at Salisbury Beach State Reservation—to America’s oldest public beach at Revere Beach Reservation—to the 22-acre urban oasis of Castle Island in South Boston—to Horseneck Beach State Reservation in Westport where ocean beach and estuary habitat combine to create one of the premier birding locations in New England.
  
  
• Through the Waterways Licensing Program, the Department of Environmental Protection promotes public use of the area between high and low tide by preserving pedestrian access for the historically essential activities of fishing, fowling (i.e., bird hunting), and navigation; promoting public use and enjoyment of the waterfront; and preserving working waterfronts that support commercial fishing, shipping, marinas, and other activities that depend on waterfront access.
  
  
• The Department of Fish & Game’s (DFG) Division of Marine Fisheries, in addition to regulating both commercial and recreational fishing to maintain stock levels, produces the annual Massachusetts Saltwater Sport Fishing Guide to highlight the state’s recreational coastal fishing opportunities, and holds the Massachusetts Saltwater Fishing Derby. See www.mass.gov/dfwele/dmf/recreationalfishing/saltguid.htm for details.
  
  
• The DFG’s Office of Fishing and Boating Access maintains information on more than 40 coastal boat access and fishing sites (see www.mass.gov/dfwele/pab/pabbook.htm), and publishes Public Access to the Waters of Massachusetts.
  
  
• Through its coastal access program, the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (with help from the Massachusetts Geographic Information System) published Massachusetts Coast Guide to Boston & the North Shore, available in print and online, and maintains the Online Locator of Coastal Public Access sites. See www.mass.gov/czm for links to this and additional information on our coast.

All of us at EOEEA take our responsibility to protect, preserve, and promote these public resources very seriously—and we are proud to see our efforts pay off every time you enjoy a day at the beach.

Photograph by K. McMahon, The Trustees of Reservations