Overview
Economics: National Ocean Watch (ENOW) data play a major role in characterizing the importance of the ocean economies of the United States on a national, state, and sub-state scale. However, a wide variety of economic activities that are typically not ocean-dependent in mainland coastal areas tend to be partially or completely dependent on the ocean in island communities, and are therefore underestimated. To better characterize the ocean economies of islands, NOAA sponsored a study in the Pacific territories of American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. This report details the challenges associated with gathering some of these data, and presents solutions for creating a more inclusive estimate of the ocean economies of the Pacific island territories.
View Story Map: Describing the Ocean Economies of the U.S. Pacific Islands