NASBLA Public Library

This document is a review of the existing literature on techniques for estimating recreational carrying capacity on a lake, in terms of number and types of watercraft. There are many existing definitions of carrying capacity in a recreation context; however, one would be remiss not to include the definition provided by two of the premier scholars in the recreational carrying capacity literature. Bo Shelby and Thomas Heberlein (1986) define carrying capacity as “the level of use beyond which impacts exceed levels specified by evaluative standards” (p. 18).

The concept of carrying capacity was developed in the fields of biology and ecology, where it was applied to wildlife management to ascertain “the number of animals that can be maintained in a given habitat before undue biological or ecological impacts occur” (Manning, Lime, & Hof, 1996, p. 118). Carrying capacity was then applied to park management when increasing numbers of visitors became a concern. The added human component broadened the concept of carrying capacity from a purely biological one to a complex issue with both biological and social components.

Carrying capacity determination is not a matter of computing and rigidly enforcing a single, explicit maximum value. Instead, carrying capacity includes an element of perception from recreation area users and managers, who add the human component to recreational carrying capacity. For this reason, the carrying capacity determination is never purely objective. As such, capacity is often reported in the form of a range of estimates as opposed to an optimum or maximum value. Capacity will vary from site to site in accordance with visitor behavior and preferences, as well as management goals.

This document will examine a variety of literature on recreational carrying capacity. Emphasis is placed on boating density methodology and other factors pertinent to lake carrying capacity estimation. The boating carrying capacity studies that were reviewed contained the following categories of analysis: use characteristics, usable lake area, boating density, lake use rate, and boaters’ perceptions of crowding. These categories are summarized below, followed by in-depth reviews of all seven selected studies.