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

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CHAPTER 31SUMMARY OFRECOMMENDATIONSThe <strong>Ocean</strong>s Act of 2000 charged the U.S. <str<strong>on</strong>g>Commissi<strong>on</strong></str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>on</strong> <strong>Ocean</strong> <strong>Policy</strong> with carryingout the first comprehensive review of ocean-related issues and laws in morethan thirty years. The <str<strong>on</strong>g>Commissi<strong>on</strong></str<strong>on</strong>g> took up that charge, presenting over 200recommendati<strong>on</strong>s throughout this report that will move the nati<strong>on</strong> toward amore coordinated and comprehensive ocean policy. This chapter assemblesall the recommendati<strong>on</strong>s in <strong>on</strong>e place. To assist federal agencies andothers in quickly identifying acti<strong>on</strong>s most relevant to them, it alsoprovides an index of the recommendati<strong>on</strong>s organized by the agency,group, or individual charged with carrying out the proposed acti<strong>on</strong>.C<strong>on</strong>text for the Recommendati<strong>on</strong>sGuiding PrinciplesAs explained in Chapter 3, the <str<strong>on</strong>g>Commissi<strong>on</strong></str<strong>on</strong>g>’s work wasguided by the following set of fundamental principles:• Sustainability: <strong>Ocean</strong> policy should be designed to meet theneeds of the present generati<strong>on</strong> without compromising theability of future generati<strong>on</strong>s to meet their needs.• Stewardship: The principle of stewardship applies both to thegovernment and to every citizen. The U.S. government holdsocean and coastal resources in the public trust—a special resp<strong>on</strong>sibilitythat necessitates balancing different uses of those resources forthe c<strong>on</strong>tinued benefit of all Americans. Just as important, every memberof the public should recognize the value of the oceans and coasts, supportingappropriate policies and acting resp<strong>on</strong>sibly while minimizing negativeenvir<strong>on</strong>mental impacts.• <strong>Ocean</strong>–Land–Atmosphere C<strong>on</strong>necti<strong>on</strong>s: <strong>Ocean</strong> policies should be based <strong>on</strong> therecogniti<strong>on</strong> that the oceans, land, and atmosphere are inextricably intertwined andthat acti<strong>on</strong>s that affect <strong>on</strong>e Earth system comp<strong>on</strong>ent are likely to affect another.• Ecosystem-based Management: U.S. ocean and coastal resources should be managedto reflect the relati<strong>on</strong>ships am<strong>on</strong>g all ecosystem comp<strong>on</strong>ents, including humans andn<strong>on</strong>human species and the envir<strong>on</strong>ments in which they live. Applying this principlewill require defining relevant geographic management areas based <strong>on</strong> ecosystem,rather than political, boundaries.472 A N O CEAN B LUEPRINT FOR THE 21ST C ENTURY

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