December 20, 2012

UCSB’s Ben Halpern to Deliver Lecture on Ocean Health

From: Noozhawk

Ben Halpern, director of UC Santa Barbara’s Center for Marine Assessment and Planning, will give a lecture titled “How Healthy Are Our Oceans?” from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. this Thursday, Dec. 13, in the basement auditorium of the Balboa building, 735 State St.

The talk is part of a series called “Science for Everyone!” It is hosted by UC Santa Barbara’s National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis.

The event is free and open to the public and will be webcast live.

December 11, 2012

With the Election Over, “Forward” Means Moving Ahead with Smart Ocean Planning

From:  NRDC

As our government officials finally move beyond election season rhetoric and preoccupation, it’s time to start looking forward. For our oceans and all those who depend on them, that means continuing down the path of smart, ocean management that will protect important ecological and economic ocean resources now and into the future.

Earlier this year, we celebrated the two-year anniversary of our first-ever National Ocean Policy, the landmark policy recommended by two bipartisan commissions and set in motion by President Obama. As Juliet Eilperin wrote recently in the Washington Post, this important policy is already clearing up confusion and conflict when it comes to ocean management. By helping coordinate the 27 federal entities that govern our oceans—often with conflicting interests and mandates—the National Ocean Policy is making our government smarter, leaner, and more effective in managing our oceans.

November 21, 2012

NAFC Marine Centre publishes marine renewables guidelines for Shetland Islands (Fish Update)

From: Fish Update

NAFC Marine Centre Marine Spatial Planning team has published a new report ‘Regional Locational Guidance for wave and tidal energy in the Shetland Islands’.

It provides guidance to the marine renewables industry on the siting of wave and tidal devices. The report details the methodology used to integrate environmental, social and economic considerations into the site selection process through the creation of spatial models.

November 19, 2012

Marine Spatial Planning, Ocean Zoning, and the Oceans’ 12 Conference (Rhode Island Property Law)

From: Rhode Island Property Law

By: John M. Boehnert

I recently had the opportunity to address the Oceans’ 12 Conference meeting in Virginia, having been asked to serve on a panel to discuss the new phenomenon of  “ocean zoning”, which I see as the next big step in  coastal zone management.

The panel itself was focusing on “coastal and marine spatial planning”, or MSP, as it is often referred to in shorthand.  MSP is a comprehensive and integrated ecosystem-based spatial planning process, relying on sound science, to gather information and data about conditions of the ocean, the seabed, and the marine life that inhabit the study area.  MSP can also analyze current and anticipated uses of ocean and coastal areas, and in this country, the Great Lakes as well.

November 13, 2012

With the Election Over, “Forward” Means Moving Ahead with Smart Ocean Planning (NRDC)

From: NRDC

As our government officials finally move beyond election season rhetoric and preoccupation, it’s time to start looking forward. For our oceans and all those who depend on them, that means continuing down the path of smart, ocean management that will protect important ecological and economic ocean resources now and into the future.

Earlier this year, we celebrated the two-year anniversary of our first-ever National Ocean Policy, the landmark policy recommended by two bipartisan commissions and set in motion by President Obama. As Juliet Eilperin wrote recently in the Washington Post, this important policy is already clearing up confusion and conflict when it comes to ocean management. By helping coordinate the 27 federal entities that govern our oceans—often with conflicting interests and mandates—the National Ocean Policy is making our government smarter, leaner, and more effective in managing our oceans.