Ocean Zone News Blog

On June 8, 2010, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that NOAA

             “has launched a State of the Coast website to highlight the importance of healthy coastal ecosystems. The site offers quick facts as well as detailed statistics using interactive images to highlight information about coastal communities, coastal ecosystems, the  coastal economy, and how a changing climate might impact the coast. Explore topics such as changes in coastal population, the impact of coastal areas on the U.S. economy, the overall health of the U.S. coast, and the vulnerability of coasts to long-term sea level rise. Visit the website at http://stateofthecoast.noaa.gov.”

By letter dated May 3, 2010, the Marine Protected Areas Federal Advisory Committee (“Committee”) sent its Recommendations on Climate Change in the Ocean to the U.S. National Administration on Oceans and Atmosphere and to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Their report is entitled Climate Change in the Ocean: Implications and Recommendations for the National System of Marine Protected Areas (“Report”). It is available online at http://mpa.gov/pdf/helpful-resources/mpafac_tor_doi_5-3-10-1.pdf.

The Committee recommends in their Report that the “appropriate authorities”

“I. design MPAs, MPA networks and the National System of MPAs to be as
ecologically resilient as practicable to the impacts of climate change; and

On May 25, 2010, the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service published Federal Register notice that 29 sites have been added to the list of National System of Marine Protected Areas.  NMFS also responded to public comment on the adding the new sites and on the National System in general.

NMFS’ Federal register notice explains that

Please see http://www.centerforoceansolutions.org/?q=initiatives/marine-spatial-planning

by Dan Bacher

Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) yesterday announced that he will file an amicus curiae brief in support of the pending lawsuit by the cities of New Bedford and Gloucester regarding the Obama administration’s proposed catch share program. Frank also said that he plans to organize Members of Congress to join the brief.

The catch share program, supported by NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenko, creates a de facto privatization of ocean resources. Where catch shares have been implemented, the inevitable result is the concentration of public trust fisheries into the hands of few big corporate fishing operations.