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National Ocean Council Blog

  • Admiral James D. Watkins, USN (ret.) (1927 – 2012) – Champion of Ocean Policy

    Posted by John P. Holdren and Nancy Sutley on July 30, 2012 at 1:33 PM EDT

    We note with much regret the passing of Admiral James D. Watkins on Thursday.  ADM Watkins served our Nation with distinction for more than half a century. His long and productive Navy career culminated with his term as Chief of Naval Operations, the Navy’s highest uniformed position. A man of many talents, ADM Watkins went on to serve as Secretary of Energy during the George H.W. Bush administration after having led the Presidential Commission on HIV/AIDS.

    We are particularly grateful for ADM Watkins’ service to the Nation in the oceans arena.  ADM Watkins served as President of the Joint Oceanographic Institutions (JOI) during the 1990s.  From there he founded the Consortium for Oceanographic Research and Education (CORE) to focus on the national need for ocean education, ocean science, and ocean policy.  In 2007, CORE and JOI merged to form the Consortium for Ocean Leadership (COL), which now continues to pursue ADM Watkins’ vision. After his retirement from CORE in 2001, ADM Watkins continued to apply his considerable talents in the oceans arena by chairing the George W. Bush administration’s U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, the final report of which provided much of the foundation for our current National Ocean Policy. 

    Upon completion of the Commission’s work in 2004, ADM Watkins went on to form the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative (JOCI) in partnership with the leadership of the Pew Oceans Commission.  This bipartisan effort was designed in part to maintain momentum towards a formal ocean policy, a goal that was recently brought to fruition by President Obama’s 2010 Executive Order 13547, Stewardship of the Ocean, our Coasts, and the Great Lakes.

    ADM Watkins’ work in the oceans arena carries on through the ongoing efforts of many groups and individuals throughout the Nation. For that legacy, we are most grateful.

    John P. Holdren and Nancy Sutley are co-chairs of the National Ocean Council.

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  • Valuable Support for Maritime Industries

    Posted by Timothy W. Janaitis on May 16, 2012 at 12:55 PM EDT

    Editor's Note: This blog introduces readers to Timothy W. Janaitis, Director of Business Development for global underwater services company Phoenix International Holdings, Inc., which provides 225 American jobs.

    As a global underwater services company, Phoenix International depends on our oceans. One of our internationally recognized missions took place last spring when we located and recovered both black boxes from Air France Flight 447, an aircraft that had crashed in 13,000 feet of water in the Atlantic two years earlier. We are currently preparing to launch a mission to search for, and ideally recover, the airplane of pioneering aviator Amelia Earhart lost in the South Pacific 75 years ago.

    On a broader scale, our company provides underwater operations, engineering and construction support to those who have economic, environmental and cultural interests in the oceans. We see new business opportunities in areas such as the emerging offshore renewable energy industry. Development of this and other offshore industries represents significant growth potential for us.

    So it is with great frustration that we see companies departing the renewable market due, in part, to a lack of clear ground rules in federal waters that slows the level and pace of project approvals. Clearly, we need a consistent framework in which investors and developers can propose and bring their technologies offshore as quickly and safely as possible within the established guidelines. This requires a sensible regulatory environment, and cooperation among all interested parties, including agencies and stakeholders.

    The National Ocean Policy provides the needed framework to stimulate job creation and economic growth, not only at Phoenix International, but at other ocean dependent businesses and organizations as well. All Americans have an interest in healthy oceans, and thriving ocean industries. Citizens who have diverse -- and sometimes conflicting -- interests and needs must have a process that allows for constructive dialogue, so they can find solutions. Only in this way can consistent ground rules and processes be established that allow energy and other offshore developers to have their proposed initiatives expeditiously and properly evaluated. The National Ocean Policy and the work of the Regional Planning Bodies allow for such representation and decision-making, and should be embraced as valuable support for maritime industries. 

    Timothy W. Janaitis is Director of Business Development for Phoenix International Holdings, Inc.

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  • Law of the Sea Convention Update

    Posted by Jerry Miller on March 23, 2012 at 5:36 PM EDT

    President Obama has stated that the United States will promote the stewardship and sustainable use of the oceans in several ways including by cooperating and exercising leadership at the international level and pursuing U.S. accession to the Law of the Sea Convention.   On March 21st, the State Department published a Fact Sheet identifying a number of compelling reasons why the United States should join the Law of the Sea Convention now. 

    Among the advantages noted in the Fact Sheet, joining the Law of the Sea Convention will create American jobs and bolster U.S. national security.  That is one reason why U.S. companies, business groups, labor unions, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Coast Guard, and a host of others support joining the Convention now. 

    To learn more about the Law of the Sea Convention: http://www.state.gov/e/oes/lawofthesea/factsheets/186605.htm.

    Jerry Miller is Deputy Director for Science and Technology in the National Ocean Council Office

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  • Supporting science-based decision-making in the Arctic Region

    Posted by Deerin Babb-Brott on March 23, 2012 at 10:30 AM EDT

    Today, we are pleased to announce a significant step in ocean stewardship for the Arctic Region. Through ocean.data.gov, the National Ocean Council is making available a wealth of data for planning and management in the Arctic, including information on biological, physical, oceanographic, habitat, and human use in the region. By making information more easily and widely accessible to local decision makers and stakeholders, the United States will be best positioned to lead in an ever changing Arctic environment.

    The United States has broad interests in this region, from national security and territorial sovereignty to sustainable management of domestic energy and living resources, environmental protection, cultural heritage, and scientific research, all of which must be addressed in the context of rapidly changing conditions. The Nation, the State of Alaska, Tribal governments, and coastal communities are faced with critical decisions about how best to enhance natural resources and manage sustainable human activities in this region. The data and information made available through ocean.data.gov will help to inform future actions and decisions. 

    Right now and ready for use through ocean.data.gov, you will find information on Arctic fisheries, marine mammals, near-shore impacts, bathymetry, salinity, temperature, and much more. Ocean.data.gov is the National Ocean Council’s portal for data, information, and tools to support people engaged in planning for the future of the ocean, our coasts, and the Great Lakes. This portal provides easy access to many tools for the implementation of ecosystem-based management including models to evaluate ecosystem services and visual tools to create maps of human use and marine habitat.  We are just getting started and look forward to hearing from you about additional data and tools to include.  

    A cornerstone of the National Ocean Policy is developing and implementing ecosystem-based management to promote more effective and sustainable stewardship of our Nation’s ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes. This whole-system approach considers the full range of activities taking place within an ecosystem to understand how they impact each other, and to develop a responsible management plan that balances those interests. This effort to make Arctic data and information available is an initial step in implementing ecosystem-based management in the region. These domestic efforts will also support collaboration on ecosystem-based management with our international partners on the Arctic Council.

    We will continue to build this information resource by adding more data sets and tools in the near future. Please join the community, tell us what you think, and help us support you in your Arctic stewardship efforts.

    Deerin Babb-Brott is Director of the National Ocean Council Office

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  • A New Leader in Protecting our Oceans and Coasts

    Posted by Deerin Babb-Brott on March 8, 2012 at 6:30 PM EDT

    This week marks my first as Director of the National Ocean Council (NOC) Office, a role in which I'm tremendously honored to serve on behalf of the American people. Since its inception, the NOC has evolved into an engine for advancing stewardship of our ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes—resources that contribute not just to our Nation's economy, but also to our environmental health and overall public wellbeing. The task before the Council—to advance the sustainable use of our ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources under President Obama's National Ocean Policy—could not be more important.

    The NOC has already made significant progress. In January 2012, the National Ocean Council released a strong, scientifically robust draft Implementation Plan to carry out the National Ocean Policy. The draft Plan reflects feedback from hundreds of stakeholders and members of the public. Additional comments being received and incorporated now will help us improve and develop the final Plan.

    I am looking forward to building on this progress by applying 22 years of experience in the resource management field, with a focus on coastal management issues and public involvement that culminated in leading the development of an ocean management plan for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. I am also looking forward to working with the members and staff of the NOC and the agencies who are working hard to ensure healthy oceans. The expertise and capability of those directly supporting the NOC is extraordinary. But we can't do it alone. That's why collaborating and communicating with our partners and the public—including industries, environmental groups, states, tribes, communities, academia, and others—will remain a top priority for the Council as we move ahead.

    Again, it's an honor to be aboard.

    Deerin Babb-Brott is Director of the National Ocean Council Office

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  • Another Step Toward Ocean Stewardship

    Posted by Michael Weiss on February 1, 2012 at 10:30 AM EDT

    In another important step toward implementing President Obama’s National Ocean Policy, the National Ocean Council has determined it will formally include Regional Fishery Management Councils in regionally based coastal and marine spatial planning. The participation of the councils will ensure their valuable expertise is part of the collaborative effort to improve the health and stewardship of our ocean. 

    CMSP brings Federal agencies, States, Tribes and communities together to better manage the marine resources that Americans depend on for food, business, energy, security, recreation and a variety of other essential uses. The National Ocean Council will establish Regional Planning Bodies to carry out CMSP using an ecosystem-based approach that emphasizes better coordination across all levels.

    In this collaborative spirit, and recognizing the unique and important role that Regional Fishery Management Councils play in fisheries management, the National Ocean Council will include members from each of the eight Regional Fishery Management Councils on the Regional Planning Bodies. These councils bring valuable expertise and knowledge about the array of marine fishery resources that are used on a region-specific basis to support local economies.

    Each Regional Fishery Management Council will be asked to identify one of its Federal, State, Tribal, or local government voting members as its representative to the Regional Planning Body. In addition, each Regional Planning Body will form a standing technical committee that includes the scientific and technical experts from the councils to ensure their input is incorporated into the spatial planning process.

    We look forward to working closely with the Regional Fishery Management Councils – as well as our other partners and the public – to ensure healthy oceans, coasts, and Great Lakes for all Americans.

    Michael Weiss is Acting Director of the National Ocean Council

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Executive Order Establishing National Ocean Council