Ocean Zone News Blog

Last week the blogosphere erupted with outrage, as conservatives declared that Barack Obama was going to ban recreational fishing, while liberals rolled their collective eyes in response and said that such claims were utterly absurd. As usual, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. The Obama administration isn’t trying to ban sport fishing – at least not yet – but it is putting the mechanisms in place to restrict fishing in the future, as the slow bureaucratic wheels of “progress” inevitably grind forward.

The root cause of angler concern was the “Interim Framework For Effective Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning” issued by the Interagency Ocean Policy Taskforce (latest version dated December 9, 2009). That document, which we can shorthand “CMSP,” does not call for an outright ban on recreational fishing. However, the CMSP report specifically lists “recreational fishing” as an activity that needs to be “better managed” (page two of the report). Perhaps “better managed” translates into “leave fishermen alone,” but one may be forgiven for thinking not.

FAIRBANKS — Members of Alaska’s congressional delegation met with two top Obama administration environmental officials Friday to discuss several issues that could have wide-ranging impacts on the state.

Of most concern to the delegation is the proposed listing of a critical habitat for the Cook Inlet beluga whale and petitions to list ice seals as threatened or endangered species. The delegation is worried that such decisions by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration could harm the state’s economy.

“In this economic climate, the fear is that all this activity will hurt the economy of Alaska. I share that fear,” Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski said in a statement. “Everyone wants to protect the environment, our wildlife and marine mammals, but the Endangered Species Act is being used as an instrument to stifle economic growth and development.”

The meeting with Dr. Jane Lubchenco, administrator for NOAA, and Eric Schwaab, the assistant administrator for the National Marine Fisheries Service, took place in Washington, D.C.

Both Murkowski and Republican Rep. Don Young emphasized the need for NOAA to look at hard science above all when making listing decisions.

Atlanta – The Obama administration has proposed using United Nations-guided principles to expand a type of zoning to coastal and even some inland waters. That’s raising concerns among fishermen that their favorite fishing holes may soon be off-limits for bait-casting. In the battle of incremental change that epitomizes the American conservation movement, many weekend anglers fear that the Obama administration’s promise to “fundamentally change” water management in the US will erode what they call the public’s “right to fish,” in turn creating economic losses for the $82 billion recreational fishing industry and a further deterioration of the American outdoorsman’s legacy. Proponents say the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force established by President Obama last June will ultimately benefit the fishing public by managing ecosystems in their entirety rather than by individual uses such as fishing, shipping, or oil exploration. “It’s not an environmentalist manifesto,” says Larry Crowder, a marine biologist at Duke University in North Carolina. “It’s multiple-use planning for the environment, and making sure various uses … are sustainable.” (Amateur outdoorsmen have been fighting for their rights for years, as the Monitor reports here.)

Allen Consulting Group report shows benefits from marine sanctuaries
March 5, 2010 at 12:42 am | In Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

Mar 03, 2010 at 2:00 am

The old balkanized approach to ocean management, in which different resources and activities are governed by different laws and agencies, has failed to protect ocean ecosystems or reduce conflicts between ocean users, a panel of international scientists says. It should be replaced with a more balanced approach using marine spatial planning. More information on this topic can be found at ScienceDaily: Marine Biology News.

Marine Spatial Planning
2010 February 28
by Tom SadlerAn important coalition of recreational fishing and boating groups recently submitted recommendations for the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force’s Interim Framework for Effective Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning.

The coalition was made up of the American Sportfishing Association, Bass Anglers Sportsmen Society, Berkley Conservation Institute, Center for Coastal Conservation, Coastal Conservation Association, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, International Game Fish Association, National Marine Manufacturers Association, Shimano Sport Fisheries Initiative, and The Billfish Foundation.

The groups took the opportunity to again reiterate the important economic contribution made by recreational fishing and boating. They noted that saltwater recreational fishing contributes over $82.2 billion in sales and $24 billion in income to the economy, and provides over 533,000 jobs. And in 2008, recreational boating directly and indirectly impacted 337,758 jobs with a labor income of $10.4 billion. In addition, there are nearly 12,000 marinas in the United States which serve as gateways to both salt and freshwater resources and the Great Lakes.

The coalition supports increasing coordination among federal and state agencies that manage or regulate our oceans and coasts. They noted that improving coordination is a commendable goal and efforts should be made to achieve it. They went on to urge that such an effort not occur at the expense of established management regimes.

Feb. 5, 2010
Much of the work supported by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation’s Marine Conservation Initiative advances marine spatial planning (MSP). By spatially dividing the marine environment, MSP reduces conflict among competing users and promotes conservation while addressing environmental, economic, and social objectives. A newly proposed, $20 million grants program for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) would support MSP projects around the country.

Read the full story:

http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2010/02/05/05greenwire-noaa-grant-proposal-could-launch-marine-zoning-54858.html

Marine Spatial Planning–MMS
and the Ocean Policy

Task Force Framework
Jully McQuilliams
OCS Workshop
January 20, 2010

Read http://www.ocsadvisoryboard.org/files/workshops/2010/2.pdf

The old balkanized approach to ocean management, in which different resources and activities are governed by different laws and administered by different agencies, has failed to protect ocean ecosystems or reduce conflicts between ocean users, a panel of international scientists says, and should be replaced with a more balanced approach using marine spatial planning.

The panel, organized by scientists from Duke University, made its case at a symposium at 8:30 a.m. Feb. 20, at this year’s annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences (AAAS) in San Diego.

Marine spatial planning begins with the creation of detailed, comprehensive maps of a marine area, identifying where and how it is used by humans and what natural resources and habitats exist within it.

Coastal communities can then use this information to set economic, environmental and social goals for that area, and allocate space within it for different uses, including fishing, shipping, recreation, conservation, oil and gas development, or renewable energy production.

By ALLISON WINTER of Greenwire
Published: February 5, 2010

The Obama administration is proposing a grant program that could start zoning marine areas for offshore projects.

 The White House released a fiscal 2011 budget proposal this week that includes $20 million in grants for regional ocean partnerships. The competitive grants would support planning for marine zoning.

Advocates of the zoning effort say the proposal — a small part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s $5.55 billion annual budget — would be a big step toward helping improving the marine management.

“This is a substantial investment,” said Emily Woglom of the Nature Conservancy. “It would make it possible for regions to start marine spatial planning frameworks.”

The new program is being proposed at a time when the administration says it is attempting to hold down agency spending. The overall budget proposal for NOAA is 15 percent higher than last year’s funding levels, but almost all new money would go to purchase new satellites.

The administration’s proposal would reduce overall funding for NOAA’s operations and research account, which pays for all programs and functions beyond purchasing. The administration is proposing $3.4 billion for operations and research, a cut of $5 million from fiscal 2010 levels.