Sustainable Governance

Once considered inexhaustible, the fish and other living resources of the sea are succumbing to the onslaught of our numbers and our technology. But change is coming in the way we use our oceans, if only because the oceans are changing in response to our actions. To be effective, ocean governance must break the cycle of unsustainable marine resource use by making the shift to long-term economic and environmental thinking. Maintaining the health of marine ecosystems is in our national interest. Without productive and resilient marine ecosystems, coastal economies and entire industries would be decimated and our quality of life would be immeasurably harmed.

Congress should enact a National Ocean Policy Act requiring federal, state, and territorial agencies to protect, maintain, and restore marine and coastal ecosystems, and reorienting national and regional decision-making bodies to these ends. This legislation should provide clear and measurable goals and standards to govern activities affecting the oceans, establish mechanisms to ensure compliance with the national policy, and establish national and regional institutions capable of carrying out that policy.

As part of the National Ocean Policy Act, Congress should establish regional ocean ecosystem councils consisting of appropriate federal, state, and tribal representatives. These councils should be charged with developing and overseeing implementation of enforceable regional ocean governance plans to carry out the national policy to protect, maintain, and restore marine ecosystems. To be enforceable, plans must include performance goals and indicators, must be binding on all parties, and must meet federal standards established under the National Ocean Policy Act. The geographic extent of authority for each regional ocean council should be specified by statute. Each regional ocean council should establish permanent advisory committees to obtain the views and advice of fishermen, scientists, environmental organizations, local government, the public, and others with an interest in ocean resources.

The regional ocean ecosystem councils should utilize ocean zoning to improve marine resource conservation, actively plan ocean use, and reduce user conflicts. Ocean zoning should allow for the protection of key habitats or resources while facilitating a variety of human activities.

Congress should enact legislation mandating the establishment of a national system of marine reserves to protect marine ecosystems, preserve our national ocean treasures, and create a legacy for our children. Congress should authorize regional ocean ecosystem councils to create marine reserves within the areas of their jurisdiction but should itself take action to protect areas of national significance.

Congress should establish an independent agency outside the Department of Commerce to address the national interest in the oceans and atmosphere. This agency should consolidate under one roof as many federal ocean programs as is practical. At a minimum, the agency should consist of the programs of the

The national oceans agency will be responsible for ensuring compliance with the National Ocean Policy Act, chairing the regional ocean ecosystem councils, providing technical and financial assistance to the councils, and reviewing and approving regional ocean governance plans.

Congress should enact legislation establishing a permanent national ocean policy council within the Executive Office of the President. The head of the national oceans agency should chair the national council. Its membership should be specified by law to include the heads of federal departments or agencies whose activities have a significant effect on the oceans. Council duties would include coordinating and overseeing agency implementation of the National Ocean Policy Act, resolving interagency disputes regarding NOPA implementation, and coordinating and certifying agency ocean budgets to address the national ocean policy. To assist the President and the national ocean policy council in carrying out NOPA, a position of national oceans adviser should be established within the Executive Office of the President.

Conservation Science Institute organizes retreats for selected small groups of leading thinkers in the fields of conservation and sustainable governance in order to develop new and creative solutions to the world's most serious ecological dilemmas. These retreats are based in relatively isolated natural settings to promote group focus. The products of these retreats include peer-reviewed scientific papers and other scholarly publications around which strategic campaigns and initiatives can be built.

Wallace, R.L. (comp.). 1997. The Marine Mammal Commission Compendium of Selected Treaties, International Agreements, and Other Relevant Documents on Marine Resources, Wildlife, and Environment. Vol. 1,2,3, and First Update. Marine Mammal Commission: Bethesda, MD.