An Ocean Blueprint for the 21st Century - California Ocean ...

CONTENTSLetter to the President ...............................................................................................................viiLetter to the Senate Majority Leader .........................................................................................ixLetter to the Speaker of the House ............................................................................................xiMembers of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy ..............................................................xiiMembers of the Science Advisory Panel.................................................................................xivCommission Staff ......................................................................................................................xviAcknowledgements..................................................................................................................xviiEXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..............................................................................................1PART IOUR OCEANS: A NATIONAL ASSETCHAPTER 1RECOGNIZING OCEAN ASSETS AND CHALLENGES ........................................30Evaluating the Vast Wealth of U.S. Oceans and Coasts .........................................................30Economic and Employment Value ....................................................................................30Marine Transportation and Ports.......................................................................................32Marine Fisheries ..................................................................................................................32Offshore Energy, Minerals, and Emerging Uses...............................................................33Human Health and Biodiversity ........................................................................................33Tourism and Recreation......................................................................................................35Coastal Real Estate ..............................................................................................................36Nonmarket Values ...............................................................................................................36Undermining America’s Ocean and Coastal Assets ................................................................38Degraded Waters..................................................................................................................38Compromised Resources ....................................................................................................40Conflicts Between Man and Nature ..................................................................................41Acting Today for Tomorrow’s Generations ..............................................................................44CHAPTER 2UNDERSTANDING THE PAST TO SHAPEA NEW NATIONAL OCEAN POLICY..........................................................................48Ocean Policy from World War II to the Oceans Act of 2000................................................48Formative Years....................................................................................................................48From Sputnik to Stratton ...................................................................................................49Years of Activism .................................................................................................................51Contention and Stalemate ..................................................................................................53Search for Coherence ..........................................................................................................54Consensus for Change ........................................................................................................55Launching the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy ................................................................55A Broad Mandate .................................................................................................................55The Commission Members ................................................................................................56How the Commission Did Its Work..................................................................................56The Preliminary Report and Governor’s Comments.......................................................59The Result.............................................................................................................................59xix