...to preserve, protect, develop, and restore coastal resources for all Rhode Islanders
Ocean SAMP Appendix: Technical Reports
Public Notices, Comments, and Previous Drafts | |
Full Document |
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Executive Summary |
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The Ocean SAMP Introduction Chapter provides an overview of the SAMP area and the SAMP document, laying the foundation for the subsequent chapters which describe the present status of the Ocean SAMP study area, characterize the natural attributes and resources of this body of water, describe current uses, identify and review existing and potential future use impacts, and present policies and recommendations that will help federal, state, and local governments work with the people of Rhode Island to wisely manage the Ocean SAMP study area for this and future generations. |
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Chapter 2. Ecology of the SAMP Region The purpose of the Rhode Island Ocean SAMP Ecology Chapter is to provide a broad overview of SAMP area ecosystem: its geology, wind patterns, air and water temperatures, salinity, water currents and circulation, chemical oceanography, phytoplankton, zooplankton, ichthyplankton, the benthos, fish, megafauna (whales, seals, turtles) and avifauna (birds). With the Ocean SAMP region being a busy maritime entryway to both Narragansett Bay and Long Island Sound, it is critical that the complex ecological and biological dynamics of this transitional sea area be increasingly studied and understood for appropriate resources management. |
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Chapter 3. Global Climate Change The purpose of the Rhode Island Ocean SAMP Climate Change Chapter is to observe past climate trends across global and local scales, consider climate change projections in the future as suggested by existing scientific studies and models, and examine what these climate change trends mean for the marine ecosystem of the Ocean SAMP area and human activities related to the Ocean SAMP. |
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Chapter 4. Cultural and Historic Resources The purpose of the Rhode Island Ocean SAMP Cultural and Historical Resources Chapter is to inventory some of these key offshore resources, especially as they relate to pre-contact tribal landscapes and historic shipwrecks, in order to more fully describe their critical value to Rhode Island and its marine ecosystem, and to provide important information for the evaluation of future offshore renewable energy development proposals. |
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Chapter 5. Commercial and Recreational Fisheries The purposes of the Rhode Island Ocean SAMP Fisheries Resources and Uses Chapter are to summarize existing information about current commercial and recreational fisheries resources and activities within the Ocean SAMP area; highlight the economic, social, cultural, and historic value of these activities to Rhode Island; and outline policies for managing these activities within the context of other existing and future uses. Accordingly, this chapter focuses primarily on commercially and recreationally important species that are targeted within the SAMP area by Rhode Island fishermen, and on current baseline conditions based on the best available existing data and information. |
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Chapter 6. Recreation & Tourism The purpose of the Ocean Special Area Management Plan (SAMP) Recreation and Tourism Chapter is to provide information on the types, locations, and value of marine recreational and coastal tourism activities within the Ocean SAMP area. In addition, this chapter outlines policies for managing these uses. |
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Chapter 7. Marine Transportation, Navigation, and Infrastructure The purpose of the Marine Transportation, Navigation and Infrastructure Chapter is to provide information on commercial, military, government and support vessels, and infrastructure that comprise the SAMP area elements of the nation's marine transportation system within the Ocean SAMP area. |
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The purpose of the Rhode Island Ocean SAMP Renewable Energy and Other Offshore Development Chapter is to address potential sites in Rhode Island state and federal waters for the location of offshore renewable energy resources projects, and to describe the potential effects that renewable energy development may have on the |
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The purpose of the Rhode Island Ocean SAMP Future Uses Chapter is to explore opportunities for the future uses of the SAMP ocean area - the inner shelf - of Block Island and Rhode Island Sounds, and discuss the potentials of these to help develop further Rhode Island's ocean and green economies. |
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Chapter 10. Existing Statutes, Regulations, and Policies The purpose of the Rhode Island Ocean SAMP Existing Statutes Chapter is to provide a broad overview of those state and federal regulations which are most relevant to governance of uses within the Ocean SAMP area, as this area encompasses both state and federal waters. These key statutes, regulations, and policies have associated regulatory provisions that provide direction for, and regulation and management of, these ocean resources and uses. |
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Chapter 11. The Policies of the Ocean SAMP While a number of federal and state statutes, regulations, and policies now govern the uses of the areas contained within the Ocean SAMP, additional provisions are needed to provide policy direction for, and regulation and management of, new ocean resources and uses, as well as to enhance management of existing activities. The Ocean SAMP New Policies Chapter addresses these emerging policies (see the Ocean SAMP Existing Policies Chapter for information about policy measures currently in operation in the Ocean SAMP area). |
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The CRMC Ocean SAMP subcommittee unanimously approved the public review process for Ocean SAMP rulemaking on October 15, 2009. Prior to approval, this process was discussed at the October 6th Ocean SAMP stakeholder meeting and public comments were heard during a public meeting on the October 15th. Download the public process document.