Strong Policy Prescriptions Needed to Restore Our Oceans

Posted: 22-Jul-2004; Updated: 19-Aug-2005

America's oceans and coasts are priceless assets. Indispensable to life itself, they also contribute significantly to our prosperity and overall quality of life. Too often, however, we tale these gifts for granted, underestimating their value and ignoring our impact on them.
--U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, Preliminary Report (Chapter 1)

7/22/2004 - A public meeting was held this week in Washington, D.C., to consider changes to the preliminary report of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, issued last April. Each of the governors of the coastal states has had a chance to respond, and their comments will be reflected in the final draft to be completed and sent to the President for review and development of a national ocean policy. For the public, this meeting marks the last chance for its voice to be heard.

Four years in the making, the preliminary report echoes last year's Pew Report, sounding the alarm bell that our oceans are in trouble (see Oceans in Trouble). "The Commission report reinforces the fact that we need to act before we get to the point of no return," says David Festa, Environmental Defense Oceans program director. "At the same time, the report holds great hope that we can turn the tide and offers workable solutions for restoring our marine resources. We have a historic window of opportunity."

At this critical juncture in a presidential election year, Environmental Defense has launched our Oceans Alive campaign, dedicated to protecting and restoring the invaluable marine resources that we depend on -- for food, medicine, employment and the enrichment of our lives. We are calling on President George Bush and Senator John Kerry to take strong action and leave an ocean legacy comparable to Teddy Roosevelt's for land conservation. 

Crafting an Ocean Policy Safety Net to Last for Generations

Our Oceans team submitted its detailed comments on the draft in June and commends the report's call for a comprehensive national policy and reform of ocean management based on conservation principles and an ecosystems-based approach. While we generally agree with the report's overall assessment of the serious threats to marine life and ocean resources and its urgent appeal for action, we are calling for stronger policy prescriptions in some areas.

To help restore failing fisheries, for example, one reform we are seeking is better fisheries management within the eight regional fisheries councils, created under the 1976 Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to oversee and protect our fishery resources. We are asking the Commission to call for amendments to the law to require meaningful representation on the councils. Our New England marine advocate Sally McGee -- the sole representative of the conservation community serving on any Fishery Management Council in the country - sums up our position: "It is incredibly important to have diversity on the regional councils in order to make sure that all of us who use and enjoy the oceans are represented in all regions."

Another area of concern pointed out in our letter relates to the terms Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) and Habitat Areas of Particular Concern (HAPC), which are used by the regional councils in determining habitat protection for managed fish stocks. One of our concerns centers on applying the term not only to protect fish nursery and feeding grounds from damage wrought by fishing and fishing gear but also from nonfishing damage, such as that caused by building roads, housing and hotels. This more encompassing definition fits in with a true ecosystems-based approach to protecting ocean and coastal habitats.

Holding Fish Farms to Environmentally Sound Practices

As the Commission report notes, marine aquaculture is a near billion-dollar industry in the U.S. -- and growing fast: over the last two decades the industry has quadrupled. At the same time, fish farms can pollute surrounding waters and may cause other adverse environmental impacts as well. Thus the importance of making aquaculture operations along our coasts and offshore environmentally sound is critical. Now a confusing patchwork of overlapping laws govern fish farming operations in coastal areas; generally a fish farm wishing to begin coastal or offshore operations needs to secure a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers and comply with environmental and public health laws that may not always be enforced (e.g. Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act).

The Commission report recommends that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) become the lead federal agency for oversight and regulation of the industry and advocates a "leasing system for the water column and ocean bottom" with revenue collection. However, while we welcome a lead agency to better regulate and monitor this burgeoning industry, what is missing from the report's proposal are strong environmental controls for the industry. Says our aquaculture expert, Dr. Rebecca Goldburg, "We need strict environmental standards with real teeth for aquaculture operations, so that if a fish farm is polluting our water NOAA has clear authority to revoke permits and leases and take other actions to ensure that operations are meeting the standards."

To read all of our comments to Admiral James D. Watkins, Chair, U.S. commission on Ocean Policy, click here.

FIND OUT MORE

• Visit oceansalive.org and take the Oceans Alive pledge.
• Read the latest report of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy.
• Read our comments on the preliminary report.
• Read the latest news release - U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy Final Report: Oceans in Trouble (9/20/2004)
• Read the news release - U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy Report: Oceans in Crisis (4/20/2004)