The goal of this study was to gather data on recreational boating patterns and activities in ocean and coastal waters of the U.S. Mid-Atlantic region—covering the states of New Jersey, Maryland, New Jersey, and Virginia. The following is a description of the methods used to create the data for the Mid Atlantic Boater Survey. The data were collected each month through an online survey deployed from June 4, 2013 to December 1, 2013. The survey respondents provided spatial information by drawing their boating routes and placing a marker to indicate where they recreated in the last month. The activity points used for this analysis were fishing, other, relaxing, scenic enjoyment, swimming, and wildlife viewing. This dataset shows the intensity of all boating routes.
Please note this data set should not be construed as representative of private boater activity as a whole. Due to the limited number of survey respondents, the data represents only a portion of actual offshore private boating activities.
Note that these environmental data and related items of information have not been formally disseminated by NOAA and do not represent and should not be construed to represent any agency determination, view, or policy.