 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SUMMARY |
|
|
 |
PEW OCEANS COMMISSION |
|
|
|
LEOPOLD LEADERSHIP PROGRAM |
|
|
|
COMPASS |
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
America's Living Oceans: Charting a Course for Sea Change
Jun 2, 2003
America's oceans are in crisis and the stakes could not be higher. More than half the U.S. population lives in coastal counties. The resident population in this area is expected to increase by 25 million people by 2015. More than 180 million people visit the shore for recreation every year.
Though a price tag has never been assigned to our coastal economy, it is clear that it contributes significantly to the nation's overall economic activity. Tens of thousands of jobs in fishing, recreation, and tourism depend on healthy, functioning coastal ecosystems. Now, thousands of jobs and billions of dollars of investment have either been lost or are jeopardized by collapsing fisheries. Pollution and sprawl threaten ocean-related tourism and recreation, far and away the largest component of the coastal economy.
But more than jobs are at stake. All Americans depend on the oceans and affect the oceans, regardless of where they live. Ocean currents circulate the energy and water that regulate the Earth's climate and weather and, thus, affect every aspect of the human experience. Our very dependence on and use of ocean resources are exposing limits in natural systems once viewed as too vast and inexhaustible to be harmed by human activity. Without reform, our daily actions will increasingly jeopardize a valuable natural resource and an invaluable aspect of our national heritage.
In the midst of crisis, there are expressions of hope and signs of success. Striped bass, severely depleted along our Atlantic shores, made a striking comeback when given a chance. North Atlantic swordfish recently did the same in response to lower catch limits and closed nursery areas. Seabirds, kelp beds, and fish communities returned to the coastal waters off Los Angeles after waste discharges were reduced. Proven, workable solutions to the crisis in our oceans exist but such successes will remain the exception rather than the rule until we chart a new course for ocean management.
PDF DOWNLOAD 
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Joint Ocean Commission Iniative
Oceans and coasts are severely threatened, domestically and around the world. The Joint Initiative's primary goal is to accelerate the pace of change that results in meaningful ocean policy reform. Led by Admiral James D. Watkins (U.S. Navy, Ret.) and The Honorable Leon E. Panetta, the Joint Initiative brings extraordinary expertise, perspective, and diversity of interests to the ocean policy dialogue.The Joint Initiative works with people and organizations at the national, regional, state, and local levels to build durable support for ocean policy reform at all levels of decision making. Through its work the Joint Initiative seeks to expand our collective understanding of the threats facing our oceans and to enable actions that address them so that our oceans remain vibrant and healthy for current and future generations.
Pew Oceans Commission
We depend on the oceans for food, jobs, recreation and solace. Ocean currents circulate the energy and water that regulate the earth's climate and weather and thus affect many aspects of the human experience, whether we live on the nation's coasts or its heartland.
In the first thorough review of ocean policy in 34 years, the Pew Oceans Commission released a host of recommendations in 2003 to guide the way in which the federal government will successfully manage America's marine environment. The report found that more than 60 percent of America's coastal rivers and bays are degraded by nutrient runoff. Crucial species like groundfish and salmon are under assault from overfishing. Invasive species are establishing themselves in the nation's coastal waters.
The U.S. Commission of Ocean Policy
On September 20, 2004, the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy fulfilled its mandate to submit recommendations for a coordinated and comprehensive national ocean policy to the President and Congress. The Commission's final report, "An Ocean Blueprint for the 21st Century," contains 212 recommendations addressing all aspects of ocean and coastal policy. The 16 members of the Commission call on the President and Congress to take decisive, immediate action to carry out these recommendations, which will halt the steady decline of our nation's oceans and coasts.
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
