In addition, 66,250 acres of wildlife habitat adjacent to the refuges have been closed to hunting by Presidential Proclamation. Each state, including Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi, Florida, and Texas, also operates several wildlife refuges or management areas ad jacent to the Gulf of Mexico. b. Fishery Resources The rich, nutrient laden estuaries of the Gulf of Mexico produce an abundance of sport and commercial fish. Major 1/ The National Estuarine Pollution Study, op. cit., p. 116. The Gulf of Mexico offers a wide variety of outdoor recreation opportunities. summarized as follows: 1/ The recreational resources of the areas are Florida Florida's total recreation shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico is 1,755 miles including 111 miles of public recreation areas and 771 miles of beach. Approximately half of the entire shoreline (840 miles) consists of mangrove swamps or marsh. All water oriented recreation activities are feasible in the area, but swimming and fishing are the most popular. Alabama Total recreation shoreline in Alabama is 204 miles including 115 miles of beach and 89 miles of marsh shore and only 3 miles of public recreation areas. Swimming, fishing, sailing and boating are suited to the areas and are the most popular recreation activities. Mississippi Mississippi's total recreation shoreline is 203 miles including 69 miles of marsh shore and 134 miles of beach. The Mississippi mainland shoreline lies some miles behind a widely broken chain of offshore All statistics pertaining to outdoor recreation were taken from, islands (Petit Bois, Horn, Ship and Cat Islands), which protect the shore from the open Gulf. The area is best suited for such recreation activities as swimming, fishing, sailing and boating. Louisiana Louisiana's total recreation shoreline (including Lake Pontchartrain) is 1,076 miles including 819 miles of marsh shore and 257 miles of beach. Fishing, hunting, wildlife study, boating, and related activi- ties are best suited to the area. of most beaches and offshore bottom make them less than attractive. Texas Area available for recreation in the Texas coastal zone is 23.3 square miles, or 0.2% of the total land area in the coastal zone. 1/ This recreation area includes 343 linear miles of beach and 359 miles of marsh shore. The shorelines are probably as little developed as any beach areas in the United States. All water oriented types of recreation activity are feasible on the Texas shore. National Park Service Units 2/ National Park Service units in the Gulf of Mexico area are: Padre Island National Seashore 1/ Flawn, P. T. and B. Fisher, 1970. Land-use Pattern in the Texas Coastal Zone. In: The coastal resources management programs of Texas, appendices. Ed. by J. T. Goodwin and J. C. Mosely, Coastal Resources Management Program, Office of the Governor, Austin. DeSoto National Monument Fort Jefferson National Monument Potential new areas are: Suwanee Wild and Scenic River Jean Lafitte National Cultural Park Wakulla River National Monument or Wild and Scenic River In addition to Feceral areas, the following National Landmarks are located in the Gulf of Mexico area: Fort Morgan National Historic Landmark Fort San Marcos De Apalche National Historic Landmark 4. Resource Use and Commercial Activity Related to the OCS The following major activities and resource uses occur on the OCS or are related to the OCS of the Gulf of Mexico. a. Mineral Industry The petroleum refining industry and the related extraction industries of Louisiana and Texas have a growth rate several times greater than the national rate for industries of this type. In 1972, Gulf of Mexico OCS operations produced more than 412 million barrels of oil and condensate valued at $1.46 billion, and about 3.0 trillion cubic feet of gas and over 1.7 billion gallons of gas liquids valued at over $752 million. Total sulphur production onthe OCS was about 1.2 million tons valued at $22.3 million. In addition, 358,782 tons of salt were produced in 1972 with a value of $64,581. 1/ 1/ "Outer Continental Shelf Statistics, Calendar Year 1972", published June 1973 by U. S. Geological Survey, Conservation Division. b. Commercial Fishing The Gulf of Mexico is one of the most productive fishing areas in the United States. In 1972, the commercial fishing catch was 1.585 billion pounds valued at $223.4 million ($0.141/lb. paid to fisherman). This catch was 33.6% of the volume and 31.8% of the value of the total United States commercial fisheries catch in 1972. 1/ C. Sport Fishing In 1970, an estimated 2.4 million fishermen, 12 years and older, spent 25.7 million man-days of fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. Approximately 53% of this sport fishing was in the ocean or from beaches and 47% was in estuaries. 2/ No projections are available for 1973, but the 1970 level is expected to increase. d. Recreation In 1970, recreationists participated in 215 million recreation activity occasions 3/ in the Gulf of Mexico area; by 1975 it is expected that recreationists will participate in approximately 1/ 2/ U.S. Dept. of Commerce, "Fisheries of the United States, 1972" NOAA, NMFS-5900. Projected from 1965 National Survey of Fishing and Hunting and 1965 Salt Water Angling Survey; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the 1970 Salt Water Angling Survey, National Marine Fisheries Service. 3/ A recreation activity occasion is the participating in a single activity by a single individual. |