Coastal Waterway Planning and Management for Small Craft

With a rapid growth in pleasure boating in recent years and with increased development in commercial fishing likely to follow from the declaration of new sea resource boundaries, it has become apparent that facilities for many of these craft are now inadequate. Conflicts have also arisen in places between different interest groups vying for limited waterways, particularly in metropolitan areas where recreational demands are high. This paper examines planning and management considerations pertinent to the provision of facilities such as launching ramps, moorings and marinas for both pleasure and commercial small craft as well as the resolution of waterway usage conflicts. This is achieved through a number of case studies made by the authors at coastal and estuarine locations in New South Wales. An overall approach to planning and management is developed, and techniques such as opinion surveys, aerial observations and operations research are blended with traditional engineering procedures to formulate solutions to waterway usage problems.