Ocean Resources Management and Planning in Oregon

Estuaries, coastal shorelands, beaches and dunes and ocean resources are defining features of the Oregon coast. They attract people from across the country and around the world to recreate, live and work. Local economies depend on the ecological health and aesthetic integrity of these unique and fragile resources.

While comprehensive plans and land use regulations for coastal communities address Goal 16, Estuaries; Goal 17 Coastal Shorelands; and Goal 18 Beaches and Dunes, Ocean Resources are covered by Goal 19, which is the responsibility of the state and federal governments rather than local communities.

Statewide Land Use Planning Goal 19 

The Ocean Resources Management Goal 

Oregonians have long recognized the diverse ocean resources offered just past the shoreline. The Pacific Ocean offers both commercial and recreational opportunity, and has a profound impact on Oregon's identity.  Statewide Planning Goal 19 addresses matters pertaining to open ocean resources and aims "to conserve the long-term values, benefits, and natural resources of the nearshore ocean and the continental shelf."

Goal 19 deals with matters such as dumping dredge spoils and discharge of waste products into the open sea, and prioritizes the protection of renewable marine resources over the development of non-renewable resources. It outlines state interest in conserving resources within the Ocean Stewardship Area, which includes Oregon's territorial sea out to 3 nautical miles as well as the continental margin seaward to the toe of the continental slope, and adjacent ocean areas.

Goal 19 was updated in late 2000 by the Land Conservation and Development Commission. Since 1977 this goal has guided Oregon's policy and management of ocean resources. This is a pertinent "applicable element" of the Oregon Coastal Management Program (OCMP) referred to in the law.