FAO FISHERIES TECHNICAL PAPER 274 Marine resource mapping: an introductory manual Table of contents

by
M.J.A. Butler
Director of Development and Research
Maritime Resource Management Service (MRMS) Inc.
Amherst, Nova Scotia, Canada

C. LeBlanc
Cartographic Production Supervisor
Maritime Resource Management Service (MRMS) Inc.
Amherst, Nova Scotia, Canada

J.A. Belbin
Head Instructor, Mapping Department
College of Geographic Sciences
Lawrencetown, Nova Scotia, Canada

J.L. MacNeill
Research Project. Officer
Maritime Resource Management Service (MRMS) Inc.
Amherst, Nova Scotia, Canada

The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries

CORRIGENDUM

In the document:
Extended Economic Zone (EEZ)
should read:
Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)

M-43
ISBN 92-5-102544-4

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. Applications for such permission with a statement of the purpose and extent of the reproduction, should be addressed to the Director. Publications Division. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Via delle Terme di Caracalla. 00100 Rome, Italy.

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE Y LA UNITED NATIONS Rome, 1987
© FAO

PREPARATION OF THIS DOCUMENT

The preparation world-wide of accurate maps and charts showing coastline configurations and the bathymetry of coastal waters, has been an objective of maritime nations since at least the 16th century, and many navigational charts now in common use still rely heavily on naval data collected in the 18th and 19th centuries. Now we recognize that in addition to their value for navigation purposes, accurate charts are essential for proper planning in support of multiple usage of maritime resources within national waters. Fisheries is not the least important of these activities: reserved areas for marine aquaculture and underwater parks, as well as the demarkation of fishery closure and access zones for various purposes, all require various specialized maps and charts to be prepared. This is especially true since declaration of Extended Economic Zones (EEZ's) by coastal states offers them the benefits of EEZ resources, as well as the need for accurate geographical information for a wide range of purposes.

The present report is aimed at those officers in the fisheries and marine services of government, and those concerned with coastal planning, by offering a national autonomous approach to cartographic applications. The text follows through the basic concepts underlying preparation of both maps and charts. Attention is paid also to collection of geographical information in fisheries, and to those graphics techniques that improve information transfer from cartographic representation to the end user.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors would particularly like to acknowledge Dr. J.F. Caddy (Senior Fishery Resources Officer, Fisheries Department, FAO) who initiated this project and provided invaluable support and guidance throughout its development and production. We also wish to acknowledge the assistance provided by our co-workers, namely: J.F. Corning, M.T. Kennedy, R. Norgren, D. Purdy, D. Raymond, K.A. Sharples and C.A. Speight for technical advice; M.E. Campbell and H. Smith for bibliographic research assistance; N.M. Butler for syntax guidance; and M. Jones, M.P. Donovan, E. Newcombe and M. Stewart for word processing this training manual. The cover of the manual was designed by K. Coldwell, a student of Cartography at the College of Geographic Sciences in Lawrencetown, Nova Scotia.

PREFACE

The preparation of accurate charts and maps showing coastline configurations and the bathymetry of coastal waters has been an objective of maritime nations since at least the 16th century, and many navigational charts now in common use still rely heavily on naval data collected in the 18th and 19th centuries. A current review of coastal zone mapping may be found in a special edition of the journal Cartographica (Volume 23, 1986), edited by Roland Perrotte for the International Cartographic Commission on Oceanic Cartography. In addition to their navigational value, accurate charts now are considered essential for proper planning in support of multiple usage of maritime resources within national waters. The introduction of Extended Economic Zones (EEZ's) increases the marine resource potential available to the coastal states. This in turn increases the need for accurate geographically referenced information and data which are required for the exploitation and management of the resources.

This manual is designed for personnel from departments of fisheries and other resource agencies who wish to produce and utilize marine resource maps as an aid to the development and management of marine resources under their jurisdiction. National resource development is becoming increasingly dependent on cartographic services not only to catalyze the process, but also to promote efficiency and economy in its management.

The manual does not assume that the reader has extensive fisheries or cartographic knowledge, hence, following the introduction (Section 1), and a review of the potential benefits of marine resource mapping to developing and developed nations alike (Section 2), considerable effort is devoted to understanding maps per se. Section 3 considers the concept of scale and the shape of the earth (Geodesy), which logically leads to a brief review of a complex topic, namely, map projections. A chart of map projections is included as an insert. The techniques of locating a point on the earth's surface and its accurate representation in terms of both the horizontal and vertical datum are described in Section 4. The content and construction of base maps are considered in some detail in Section 5, because they constitute the foundation on which resource (thematic) information is overlaid. In Section 6 map design fundamentals are reviewed as an introduction to thematic manuscript preparation (Section 7), the primary subject of this training manual. Figure I portrays the sequence of tasks which may be involved in this process in addition to map production alternatives. Section 7 not only considers the relevant cartographic principles but more importantly it describes tested procedures for the collection of meaningful resource information from the field. Aerial photographs, their acquisition, interpretation and relevance to the production of both base and thematic maps, are described in Section 8. Section 9 is devoted to a review of graphics, the visual techniques by which a cartographer communicates selected information clearly and easily to the map reader. The use of colour (Section 10) is presented as another communication aid. A colour chart is included as a second insert. Section 11 considers the procedures and materials associated with the production of “artwork”, the term commonly used to define the cartographic end-products used for reproduction. The mechanics of various graphic reproduction techniques are then described in Section 12.

Section 13 reviews a wide range of marine resource mapping projects which can result from the cartographic process, be it the most basic of procedures or the most sophisticated of cartographic technology. Twelve of the mapping projects were selected for detailed analysis and constitute the case studies. Each case study includes one (or more) map sample and an associated critique of its design, production and contents. The variety of map types portrayed in the case studies will provide the user of this manual with a reasonably comprehensive survey of current marine resource mapping formats and techniques. Section 14 considers the future status of marine resource mapping in terms of advanced technology, and for those who may desire formal training in Cartography, Section 15 identifies the major international and national training institutes. A glossary of cartographic terms and the bibliography conclude this introductory manual to marine resource mapping. The manual does not presume to be all-inclusive; reference to specialized texts should be made whenever supplemental information is required.

A final and important point of information: it is not essential for the aspiring marine cartographer to fully digest all of the Sections herein prior to undertaking a marine resource mapping project. Section 7 (Thematic Manuscript Preparation) and Section 13 (Marine Resource Mapping and Case Studies) provide sufficient information to the reader of this manual to commence such a task. Practice will soon identify the theoretical concepts which are required to achieve the full potential of resource mapping; these fundamentals are reviewed in the other Sections of this manual; a broad schematic of procedures and elements involved in mapping fisheries data are shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1

DATA COLLECTION, COMPILATION AND MAP PRODUCTION

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF FIGURES

LIST OF TABLES