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 Scientists, fishermen,
conservationists, elected leaders, and business
officials unveil recommendations to avert decline of
ocean wildlife and collapse of ocean ecosystems
(June 4, 2003).
Over-fishing at sea, over-development
along the coasts, and increasing pollution from cities
and fields are leading to decline of ocean wildlife and
the collapse of ocean ecosystems, according to a
landmark report released today by scientists, fishermen,
conservationists, business leaders, and elected
officials. The independent Pew Oceans Commission calls
for immediate reform of U.S. ocean laws and policies to
restore ocean wildlife, protect ocean ecosystems, and
preserve the ecological, economic, and social benefits
the oceans provide. The comprehensive report, entitled
America’s Living Oceans: Charting a Course for Sea
Change, is the result of a three-year, nationwide
study of the oceans, the first of its kind in more than
30 years.
“For centuries we have viewed the oceans as beyond our
ability to harm and their bounty beyond our ability to
deplete. The evidence is clear that this is no longer
true,” said Leon Panetta, chair of the independent,
bipartisan commission. “The good news is that it is not
too late to act. This report offers practical solutions
for bringing ocean management into the 21st century to
ensure that future generations will be able to enjoy
clean beaches, healthful seafood, abundant ocean
wildlife, and thriving coastal communities.”
Over half the nation lives along the coast. Many
millions more come to its shores each year to swim,
sail, and surf. Fishing is America’s oldest profession,
and one of its favorite pastimes. In its study of the
coastal and ocean waters, the Commission traveled from
Maine to Hawaii, the Gulf of Alaska to the Gulf of
Mexico, and into the heartland to speak to Americans
about new approaches for the responsible management of
the oceans. The 18-member Commission arrived at its
recommendations after careful deliberation and without
dissent.
Both comprehensive and detailed, the Pew Oceans
Commission’s 144-page report presents a new direction
for governing our oceans. The Commission calls for a
bold, new conservation ethic that embraces the oceans as
a public trust, recognizes our dependence on healthy
marine ecosystems, and practices precaution as we manage
ocean resources. Among the leading findings and
recommendations:
Finding: U.S. ocean policy is a hodgepodge of
narrow laws that has grown by accretion over the years,
often in response to crisis, and is in need of reform to
reflect the substantial changes in our knowledge of the
oceans and our values toward them.
Solution: The Commission calls upon Congress and
the Bush administration to pass a National Ocean Policy
Act that embodies a national commitment to protect,
maintain, and restore the living oceans.
Finding: Management approaches that cut across
lines of jurisdiction and involve all members of the
community have proven to be the most successful.
Solution: The Commission calls for the
establishment of an independent oceans agency to
streamline federal management, the creation of regional
ecosystem councils to bring fishermen, scientists,
citizens, and government officials together to develop
ocean management plans, and a national network of marine
reserves to protect and restore fragile ocean habitats.
Finding: With half the nation living along the
coast and millions more visiting each year, we are
fundamentally changing the natural ecosystems that
attract us to the coast.
Solution: The Commission calls upon Congress and
the states to work together to set aside habitat
critical to coastal ecosystems and to promote smart land
use that protects terrestrial and marine environments.
The Commission also calls for the redirection of
government programs and subsidies that contribute to the
degradation of the coastal environment.
Finding: Overfishing, wasteful bycatch, the
destruction of habitat, and resulting changes in marine
food webs threaten the living oceans upon which our
fishing industry and heritage depend.
Solution: The Commission urges the adoption of
ecosystem-based management that restricts destructive
fishing gear, eliminates the wasteful practice of
discarding unintended catch, and places a priority on
the long-term health of marine life and marine
ecosystems. Central to this goal is the immediate need
to separate conservation decisions (How many fish we
sustainably catch?) from allocation decisions (Who gets
to catch them?) within the fishery management process.
Finding: The nutrients and toxic substances
running off our cities, streets, yards, and fields and
emanating from our smokestacks and tailpipes present the
greatest pollution threat to coastal waters.
Solution: The Commission calls for (1) national
standards that set nutrient pollution limits and (2)
compliance with these standards and further reductions
in toxic pollution using watershed-based approaches. The
Commission also calls for stricter measures to abate
pollution from animal feeding operations and cruise
ships, and to stem the tide of invasive species arriving
from overseas.
The Commission also urges the doubling of the federal
ocean research budget, which for more than a decade has
hovered near $755 million, less than four percent of the
nation’s total research budget. Citing the need to build
a national constituency for the oceans, the Commission
also calls for a new era of ocean literacy to inspire
the next generation with a greater understanding of and
appreciation for the oceans. And in response to the
environmental risks associated with the emerging
aquaculture industry, the Commission calls for a
moratorium on the expansion of finfish aquaculture
(including salmon) until national policies and standards
are in place.
“A century ago, President Theodore Roosevelt instilled a
conservation ethic for our land that resulted in such
national treasures as Yellowstone, Yosemite and the
Grand Canyon. Today, we extend this ethic to the oceans
and pledge to meet our responsibility to provide for the
coming generation a bountiful ocean legacy,” said Leon
Panetta.
The commission’s full report is available online at
www.pewoceans.org.
The Pew Oceans Commission was funded by a grant from the
Pew Charitable Trust, which supports nonprofit
activities in the areas of culture, education, the
environment, health and human services, public policy,
and religion. Additional funding was provided by the
David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Rockefeller
Brothers Fund, and Oxford Foundation.
The Pew Oceans Commission includes:
The Honorable Leon E. Panetta, Chair
John Adams, Natural Resources Defense Council
The Honorable Eileen Claussen, Strategies for the Global
Environment
The Honorable Carlotta Leon Guerrero, Ayuda Foundation
The Honorable Mike Hayden, Kansas Department of Wildlife
and Parks
Geoffrey Heal, Ph.D., Columbia University
Charles F. Kennel, Ph.D., Scripps Institution of
Oceanography
The Honorable Tony Knowles, former governor of Alaska
Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., Oregon State University
Julie Packard, Monterey Bay Aquarium
The Honorable Pietro Parravano, Pacific Coast Federation
of Fishermen’s Associations
The Honorable George E. Pataki, governor of New York
The Honorable Joseph P. Riley, Jr., mayor of Charleston
David Rockefeller, Jr., National Park Foundation
Vice Admiral Roger T. Rufe, Jr. (U.S. Coast Guard,
Retired), The Ocean Conservancy
Kathryn D. Sullivan, Ph.D., COSI Columbus
Marilyn Ware, American Water
Pat White, Maine Lobstermen’s Association
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