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News Service June 11, 2003
Independent
Oceans Commission Calls For Immediate Reforms:
Scientists, fishermen,
conservationists, elected leaders, and business officials
unveil recommendations to avert decline of ocean wildlife and
collapse of ocean ecosystems
(June 4,
2003, 9:30 ET). Overfishing 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
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
dollars, 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.
Members of the
independent, nonpartisan commission were in Washington, D.C.,
to present America’s Living Oceans to members of
Congress and the Bush administration. The Commission is
distributing the report to governors and to citizens in all 50
states and territories, and in over 30 countries. The public
may download or order America’s Living Oceans
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:
John Adams,
Natural Resources Defense Council
The Honorable
Eileen Claussen, Strategies for the Global Environment
The Honorable
Carlotta Leon Guerrero, Ayuda Foundation
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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