Costs Associated with Voluntary Speed Reduction Requests In Central California Marine Sanctuaries To Protect Endangered Whales

International trade is essential to the U.S. economy accounting for over $4.6 trillion in cargo value and 2.4 billion short tons in recent years. Waterborne transportation has always dominated total international trade accounting for over 72 percent of tonnage and about 42 percent of cargo value carried in recent years. Without nautical charts the mariner is unable to see below the surface of the water and hence is at risk of being unable to avoid submerged dangers to navigation, enable them to optimally load and operate vessels efficiently as well as to plan itineraries to safety reach their intended destinations. This analysis contributes to the literature through more comprehensive estimation of private and societal impacts resulting from averted or lowered costs due to higher utilization of commercial cargo vessels, avoidance of underwater dangers to navigation, planning commercial and recreational fishing operations to locate fish, set gear at the proper depth and avoid damaging fishing gear, and support safe recreational boating. Timely, accurate and complete charts reduce morbidity, morality, vessel, cargo, other infrastructure and fuel costs and resultant environmental emissions from maritime activities. The relative benefits of enhancing the accuracy nautical charts also suggested large increases in marine traffic carriage is possible due to reductions in the variability of chart accuracy. The work recognizes the work of vessel pilots and bridge managers along with data from other sources (e.g., National Water level Observation Network (NWLON) and Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System (PORTS®) that when taken together with chart data provide essential information to produce benefits from safe and effective transportation. In this analysis total benefits were parsed among these major contributor groups based on their perceived contributions. Overall, the annual value of nautical charts was estimated to range from about $1.9 billion to approximately $3.1 billion ($2017).