Delaware's Inland Bays are threatened by ever-increasing impacts from anthropogenic sources. Since the late 1950's multilpe-use priorities which endanger these ecosystems have emerged. These uses include industrial water supply, wastewater disposal, commercial propagation and harvesting of fish and shellfish, and various recreational uses and their related support systems. Delaware has recognized the importance of water quality for recreation and has designated the Inland Bays as waters of exceptional recreational and ecological significance (ERES). ERES waters are accorded a level of protection in excess of that provided most other state waters.

• Development of a Comprehensive Water-use plan for Delaware's Inland Bays (Being developed during 1997-98)
  

  The development of a water-use plan for Delaware's Inland Bays is identified as a major tactic in the Delaware Inland Bays Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (Chapter 3: Habitat Protection Action Plan; Tactic C. Establish an Inland Bays Comprehensive Water-Use Plan.) The need for such a plan exists due to the increased uses of the limited areas and resources of the bays and to address current and future user conflicts. There is also a critical need to assess user impacts of the natural resources of the estuarine system and develop management approaches to minimize these impacts.

  The key objectives in the development of the water-use plan will:

  1. benefit and protect existing uses of the bays (e.g. swimming, boating, fishing, etc.);
  2. provide an enjoyable and safe recreational experience for the general public;
  3. provide convenient and adequate access to the bays for the general public;
  4. protect and enhance the bays living resources, habitat, and water quality;
  5. provide a framework for addressing bay uses and the management of user conflicts.

• Recreational Boating on Delaware's Inland Bays: Implications for Social and Environmental Carrying Capacity (December, 1992)
  

  Background
  This study provides the first-ever glimpse of recreational boating carrying capacity for a water body in Delaware. The purpose of the study was to obtain information from recreational users, baywide during the summer of 1991, to determine whether problems existed from a carrying capacity standpoint.

  The Study had five objectives:
  

  1. establish linkages between recreational uses and impacts on Delaware's Inland Bays and determine spatial relationships between the uses;
  2. identify users' perceptions about specific environmental quality problems;
  3. evaluate the potential of a range of management strategies for the bays;
  4. develop recommendations for integrating carrying capacity issues with other land- and water-use planning methods;
  5. develop a Geographic Information System (GIS) for display and analysis of recreational use data.

  Methods
  Recreational use data were collected by several integrated methods. Initially, on-site field interviews were conducted at nine sampling locations around the bays during the summer of 1991. A total of 451 recreational users were interviewed. Additionally 600 mail surveys were sent to shoreline residents living in the Inland Bays area. Two hundred and ninety residents responded to the questionnaires for a 58 percent response rate after adjusting for non-deliverable addresses. On seven days during the month of August, on-water counts of boats were conducted on Rehoboth and Indian River bays to ascertain the density levels of boating activity on the bays.

  Study Findings
  

  • Profile of Inland Bay Boaters
  • Profile of Inland Bay Boats
  • Boating-Group Characteristics
  • Boating-Group Activities
  • On-Water Observations of Boating Activity
  • Spatial Analysis of Boating Distributions and Patterns
  • Perceptions of Boating Quality and Impacts
  • Effects of Boat Density on Boating Quality
  • Perceptions of Litter and Marine Waste
  • Perceived Changes in Environmental Quality and Living Resources
  • Management Options
  • Management Restrictions Offered by Boaters
  • Management Suggestions Offered by Boaters

  Management Recommendations
  

  • Policy Issues
  • Enforcement
  • Boating Safety
  • Environmental
  • Education and Awareness

Nanticoke River

Recreational and commercial uses of the Nanticoke River have increased over the past few years. In order to address the waterway use conflicts, boating safety and environmental concerns it is necessary to fully understand the nature of the activities causing the problems. To accomplish this, the University of Delaware Sea Grant MAS is working with the Nanticoke Watershed Alliance, Maryland Department of Natural Resources and Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control to study existing activities and conditions on the river, identify current and potential problems and develop recommendations to resolve critical issues.

• Nanticoke River Watershed Boating Assessment Study (Being developed during 1996-97)
  

  The specific objectives of the study include:

  1. To understand the magnitude of the various activities occurring on the water and determine the extent to which conflicts or safety problems exist between users. The data collection procedures were multi-faceted and included field surveys of recreational users, mail surveys of riparian property owners, mail surveys of commercial shipping companies, tug/barge operators, and commercial watermen, and aerial flights to count and observe boating activity.
  2. To assess peak-use boating patterns using a Geographic Information System (GIS) data base for display and analysis of the collected data.
  3. To collect attitudinal information from property owners to determine any impacts they feel are caused by boaters or their activities.
  4. To assess the impact of recreational boating activity on the natural resources of the watershed.