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.

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.

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 the 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 policy direction for, and regulation and management of, these ocean resources and uses.