Figure 1. LMEs correspond to natural features. (The 10 LMEs of the United States are regions of the ocean starting in coastal areas and extending out to the seaward boundaries of continental shelves and major current systems. They take into account the biological and physical components of the marine environment as well as terrestrial features such as river basins and estuaries that drain into these ocean areas. From the final report of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy (USCOP 2004).)
