U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy - Joint Ocean Commission Initiative

Maximizing Resources through CollaborationAn overarching message from the Inventory of U.S. Coastal and Ocean Facilities (Appendix5) is the need for continued partnerships among public and private entities to reduce costs,leverage resources, and encourage information sharing. Many successful collaborationshave formed across the nation and around the world in recent decades. Ocean and coastallaboratories are frequently focal points for these efforts, drawing additional resources andnew facilities supported by government, private, or academic institutions to advance thecapabilities of a region.For example, Narragansett, Rhode Island is home to a strong coalition of diverse researchorganizations, including the Atlantic Ecology Division of the U.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency’s (EPA’s) National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, theNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) Northeast Fisheries ScienceCenter Narragansett Laboratory, and the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School ofOceanography. Similarly, at the Hollings Marine Laboratory in Charleston, South Carolina,NOAA’s National Ocean Service, and the National Institute of Standards and Technologyhave partnered with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the College ofCharleston, and the Medical University of South Carolina to construct and operate a stateof-the-artmarine laboratory dedicated solely to collaborative, interdisciplinary research.The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and the Monterey Bay Aquarium regularlycollaborate with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute and other researchinstitutions in the area, sharing ships and undersea vehicles, as well as information, toimprove management practices and educational outreach. Partnerships of other kinds,such as the Cooperative Enforcement Program between the National Marine FisheriesService and state agencies, allow these organizations to coordinate missions and responsibilitiesin order to maximize vessel use.Consortia and joint programs, with facilities that support several organizations, createmarine communities that interact closely, share knowledge, enhance career pathways, andpromote collaboration among government, academic, and private sectors. The most costeffectivemeans of making infrastructure available to the largest number of people is toemphasize such partnerships.In 1969, the Stratton <strong>Commission</strong> recognized that the technological and scientificdemands of global ocean research would overtax the means of any single nation, stressingthe need for international partnerships. 4 Realizing the expense involved in building andmaintaining infrastructure and developing new technologies, nations have joined togetherin extremely successful ways. Current examples of such shared resources include satellitebasedsensors, Argo profiling floats that measure meteorological and ocean variables aspart of the Global Ocean Observing System, the Global Climate Observing System, andthe Integrated Ocean Drilling Program. It is in the interests of the United States to continueto pursue partnerships with foreign nations for high-cost technology developmentactivities with worldwide applications, while ensuring that foreign efforts are complementaryto those in the United States, not replacements for them.A National StrategyDespite the growing need to improve ocean science, resource assessments, education,operations, and enforcement, the federal government has yet to develop a long-rangestrategy to support the necessary infrastructure and technology needed for these purposes.Although federal agencies have made efforts to improve their coordination in some areasthrough the National Oceanographic Partnership Program and other mechanisms, infrastructureand technology planning is still not conducted in an integrated fashion thatreflects regional, national, and international priorities.414 A N O CEAN B LUEPRINT FOR THE 21ST C ENTURY