Oregon has jurisdiction over the seabed and its resources out to three nautical miles and sometimes further if offshore islands or rocks provide a more seaward point for measurement. This three-mile ribbon of ocean, comprising about 1,000 square miles, is Oregon's ocean area covered by the Territorial Sea Plan.

Oregon's ocean area stretches approximately 360 miles from the mouth of the Columbia River to the California border and extends some 14 to 40 miles offshore. This area is part of and influenced by oceanographic and atmospheric forces that affect the entire Pacific Ocean. Effective policy and management of the ocean and Oregon's Coast requires an understanding of the setting and forces that affect this dynamic environment.