Abstract
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), in partnership with the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC), convened multi-day marine spatial planning workshops in two US territories in late August 2023. Following the federal register notice for both events (88 FR 54302), the first workshop occurred in the United States Virgin Islands (USVI), followed by a second in Puerto Rico. This technical memorandum includes data development outcomes of the first workshop, held on the island of St. Croix from August 28th to 29th. NCCOS and NMFS SEFSC are working to build spatial planning capacity in the US Caribbean region. Marine spatial planning, especially for insular communities like the USVI and Puerto Rico, holds great promise to assist coastal managers, environmental organizations, and industry with planning for future development of the blue economy, including emerging opportunities like renewable energy and aquaculture. The following goals guided each event:
● Learn more about NOAA's marine spatial planning approaches and activities
● Inventory available spatial data for the USVI and Puerto Rico
● Document data shortcomings and gaps
● Increase local capacity and resources for regional ocean spatial planning
● Further develop a community of stakeholders to inform future marine planning