Abandoned Shipwreck Act

This data represents the extent of the Abandoned Shipwreck Act (ASA). The ASA allows states to manage a broad range of resources within submerged lands, including abandoned shipwrecks that have been deserted and to which the owner has relinquished ownership rights with no retention. With the exception of wrecks on certain federal public lands, the ASA asserts U.S. title to abandoned shipwrecks and automatically transfers the title to coastal states. Citing to the Submerged Lands Act, the ASA generally extends seaward a distance of three nautical miles from the coastline to the inner limit of the outer continental shelf. In the cases of Texas, the Gulf coast of Florida, and Puerto Rico, the ASA extends seaward three marine leagues-or nine nautical miles-from the coastline. When investigating geo-regulatory boundaries near the boundary edges, users should consult the most up-to-date applicable jurisdictional boundaries from all respective authoritative sources.

Source: https://www.nps.gov/history/local-law/FHPL_AbndShipwreck.pdf

Date enacted: April 28, 1988

Codification: 43 U.S.C. Sec. 2101 et seq

Authority: U.S. National Park Service

To support ocean planning activities pursuant to the Executive Order Regarding the Ocean Policy to Advance the Economic, Security, and Environmental Interests of the United States, the Energy Policy Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Rivers and Harbors Act, and the Coastal Zone Management Act.

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For coastal and ocean planning

The attributes in this dataset are believed to be accurate.

Maximum scale of intended use is 1:80,000.

Spatial and attribute properties are believed to be complete, although attribute information has been simplified. Geometric thresholds from original data are preserved. No tests have been completed for exhaustiveness.

These data are believed to be logically consistent. Geometry is topologically clean.