Who’s Embarking on a New Era in Ocean Stewardship?

Fishermen, scientists, business owners, farmers & more are charting a new course for the ocean—one of collaboration & holistic approaches, as seen in Ocean Frontiers. Now, we are able to offer you a more in depth look at what these ocean champions are doing—learn more about their work, watch new video clips and see how to get involved!  Each story now has its own webpage.

Click on the titles below to go to that specific story’s page—with more videos, articles and links! 

whales and ships

Saving Whales at Stellwagen Bank

Learn more about collaborating to save whales and ocean economies. Meet the project partners, and check out the cool work on endangered right whales.

 

An Ocean Blueprint for Florida Keys

See how ocean planning is being done right by a diverse group of ocean stakeholders. Hear from Keys fishermen about how ocean planning benefits their businesses.

 

Iowa Farmers & Gulf of Mexico

Connect with people across the Mississippi River Basin who are both changing their agricultural practices and implementing innovative conservation measures.

 

Port Orford Fishermen Protect Ocean & Way of Life

Learn from these visionary fishermen and their partners about how to create and promote a community stewardship area for a healthy near shore ecosystem that will support their town’s economy.

Kudos to Oregon First Lady Cylvia Hayes and Leesa Cobb of the Port Orford Ocean Resource Team for the this excellent op-ed they wrote on the National Ocean Policy and its value to Oregon’s coastal communities

Thanks for all you do!
The Ocean Frontiers Team

Administration Releases Plans to Implement Better, More Streamlined Management of Our Nation’s Oceans, Coasts and Great Lakes – Give Your Input!

Our nation has long relied on the abundance of resources, economic value and natural beauty of our ocean and coasts. In 2007, shore-adjacent communities were home to 108.3 million people, 48.6 million jobs and contributed $5.7 trillion to the U.S. economy.[1]

Photo: Green Fire Productions

As populations rise and demands of our oceans and coasts increase, more holistic and streamlined management of our ocean and coastal resources are imperative.

Currently, waterways are managed by more than 20 federal agencies and are subject to more than 140 different laws and regulations. In addition, there are local and state governments regulations—making the availability of information and decision-making processes in regard to ocean and coastal issues inefficient and ineffective.

In 2010, the Obama Administration released the first ever National Ocean Policy to protect, maintain and restore our nation’s oceans, coasts and Great Lakes. The policy creates a framework under which all ocean resource management will take place to reduce duplicating efforts or working at cross-purposes, ultimately saving tax payer dollars and increasing transparency.

Last week, the administration released a draft implementation plan—a giant step forward in advancing the National Ocean Policy. The Draft Implementation Plan reflects over two years worth of hard work, investment and commitment made by state governments, commercial and industrial ocean users, universities and scientists, 25 federal agencies and departments and tens of thousands of citizens across the country to move our oceans toward better ocean management.

Photo: Green Fire Productions

This plan provides all ocean users a great opportunity to have their voices heard and to ensure that implementation of the National Ocean Policy encompasses the views and ideas of fishermen, scientists, shipping companies and port managers, energy developers, conservationists and those that live, work and play in coastal communities.

The administration is accepting public comment on the plans until February 27th. Please, make your voice heard and click here to view and comment on the National Ocean Policy Draft Implementation Plan.

 

 

 


[1] National Ocean Economics Program. (2009). State of the Ocean and Coastal Economies, p.6, http://www.oceaneconomics.org/NationalReport/.