Healthy Oceans, Healthy Communities: Indicators of Coastal Vulnerability and Resilience

A goal of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which includes the National Marine Fisheries Service, is to invigorate coastal communities and economies so they are resilient and can adapt to the impacts of hazards and climate change.  To meet this goal, indices of fishing dependence, vulnerability, and resilience were developed for 2,910 coastal communities in the Eastern United States.  Seventy-five different variables from seven secondary data sources were used in developing these indices, and quantitative and qualitative methods were used to establish their reliability.  Although widely-used indices of vulnerability and sustainability have been developed at national and regional levels, our research focused on community-level sustainability indicators.  Such indicators are essential to systematically assess the social impacts of changing access to fishery resources resulting from regulatory changes.  The development, utility, and validity of these indicators for social impact assessments of fishing communities are examined.