Muskrat Trapping

Maryland, through its Coastal Zone Management (CZM) Program, is collecting information on how the public uses the Chesapeake Bay waters and adjacent lands. These baseline data will inform planning efforts being undertaken by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to help inform public access, land acquisition, and future oyster aquaculture planning and decision-making. Collecting data on the variety of ways our Chesapeake waters are used will help us plan for reducing use conflicts in our coastal waters, maximizing efficiency, and enhancing environmental and economic productivity. Chesapeake Bay waters are used in many ways: commercial fishing, aquaculture, transport, habitat for wildlife, and recreation, among others. With new and expanding coastal and marine uses, as well as Maryland’s growing coastal population, the pressure is mounting to ensure that there is space for both traditional and new uses and that conflicts are minimized. Some mapped human use data exist, but Maryland has limited recreational water use data for the Chesapeake waters. Basic data on how we use our coastal waters was collected by inviting residents and experts to share their knowledge about recreational uses at workshops using geographical information systems technology.马里兰州通过其海岸带管理（Coastal Zone Management, CZM）项目，正开展切萨皮克湾水域及毗邻陆地的公众使用情况信息采集工作。该基线数据将为马里兰州自然资源部正在推进的各项规划工作提供决策支撑，助力公共水域可达性建设、土地收购以及未来牡蛎养殖规划与决策制定。收集切萨皮克湾水域各类使用场景的相关数据，有助于我们统筹规划以减少近海水域的使用冲突、提升资源利用效率，并优化环境与经济综合效益。切萨皮克湾的使用场景多样，涵盖商业捕捞、水产养殖、航运、野生动物栖息地以及休闲娱乐等多种形式。随着近岸及海洋新兴用途的不断涌现与拓展，再加上马里兰州近岸人口的持续增长，保障传统与新兴用途均拥有合理空间、并最大限度降低使用冲突的压力与日俱增。目前虽已存在部分已制图的人类活动使用数据，但马里兰州针对切萨皮克湾水域的休闲用水使用数据仍较为匮乏。此前，项目团队通过举办借助地理信息系统（Geographic Information Systems, GIS）技术的专题研讨会，邀请居民与行业专家分享其对休闲用水用途的认知，以此完成近岸水域使用基础数据的采集工作。