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This report provides findings from an analysis and evaluation of the economic effects of potential measures to manage the co-occurrence of shipping traffic and whales in the Channel Islands region off the coast of California. These potential management measures are part of one of two different approaches developed by members of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (CINMS) Advisory Council Marine Shipping Working Group (MSWG) one technology-based and the other spatial-management-based (Figure 0.11 ). Both approaches received partial support from MSWG members, although components exist within the approaches that were broadly supported, as well. The spatial management approach has multiple components that the MSWG contributors feel have merit individually as well as in combination with one another.

NOAA's Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program (DSCRTP) is compiling a national database of the locations of deep-sea corals and sponges, beginning in U.S. waters. The DSCRTP will make this information accessible to resource managers, the scientific community, and the public over the World Wide Web. The database fulfills NOAA's requirements under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) to identify and map locations of deep-sea corals and to submit this information for use by regional fishery management councils. At present, there is no comprehensive, national-scale data portal for deep-sea corals and sponges. Given the authorities outlined in the MSA, NOAA's DSCRTP will serve as a central data aggregator and distributor. The DSCRTP will aggregate and make accessible historical records from samples archived in museums, research institutions, and reported in the scientific literature augmented by observations collected during deep-water in situ surveys conducted by NOAA and other research institutions. The database schema accommodates both linear (trawls, transects) and point data (samples, observations). The schema captures information in 95 fields across eight main categories related to surveys (e.g. cruises or expeditions), events (e.g. dives or transects), observations (e.g. specimens or images), as well as taxonomic identification, environment, occurrence details, metadata and record-keeping information. Not all fields are required for submission to the database. The minimal data requirements for point observations, transects, and trawls are outlined in this document. The database represents a new standard to catalyze progress in deep-sea coral and sponge resource management and habitat suitability modeling. Records will be compiled continuously by NOAA, and distributed online in a map atlas format beginning in 2015.

Washington depends on a healthy coastal and marine ecosystem to maintain a thriving economy and vibrant communities. These ecosystems support critical habitats for wildlife and a growing number of often competing ocean activities, such as fishing, transportation, aquaculture, recreation, and energy production. Planners, policy makers and resource managers are being challenged to sustainably balance ocean uses, and environmental conservation in a finite space and with limited information. This balancing act can be supported by spatial planning.Marine spatial planning (MSP) is a planning process that enables integrated, forward looking, and consistent decision making on the human uses of the oceans and coasts. It can improve marine resource management by planning for human uses in locations that reduce conflict, increase certainty, and support a balance among social, economic, and ecological benefits we receive from ocean resources.In March 2010, the Washington state legislature enacted a marine spatial planning law (RCW §43.372) to address resource use conflicts in Washington waters. In 2011, a report to the legislature and a workshop on human use data provided guidance for the marine spatial planning process. The report outlines a set of recommendations for the State to effectively undertake marine spatial planning and this work plan will support some of these recommendations, such as: federal integration, regional coordination, developing mechanisms to integrate scientific and technical expertise, developing data standards, and accessing and sharing spatial data.In 2012 the Governor amended the existing law to focus funding on mapping and ecosystem assessments for Washington’s Pacific coast and the legislature provided $2.1 million in funds to begin marine spatial planning off Washington’s coast. The funds are appropriated through the Washington Department of Natural Resources Marine Resources Stewardship Account with coordination among the State Ocean Caucus, the four Coastal Treaty Tribes, four coastal Marine Resource Committees and the newly formed stakeholder body, the Washington Coastal Marine Advisory Council.

The Gap Analysis of Marine Ecosystem Data project is a review of available geospatial data which can assist in marine natural resource management for eight park units. The project includes the collection of geospatial information and its incorporation in a single consistent geodatabase format. The project also includes a mapping portal which can be seen at: http://ccma.nos.noaa.gov/explorer/gapanalysis/gap_analysis.htmlIn addition to the collection of geospatial information and mapping portal we have conducted a gap analysis of a standard suite of available information for managing marine resources. Additional gap were identified by interviewing park service staff.