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

and more than 37 million people and 19 million homes have been added to coastal areasduring the last three decades, driving up real estate values and requiring ever greatersupport services.These concrete, quantifiable contributions are just one measure of the value of thenation’s oceans, coasts, and Great Lakes. There are many even more important attributes thatcannot be given a price tag, such as global climate control, life support, cultural heritage, andthe aesthetic value of the ocean with its intrinsic power to relax, rejuvenate, and inspire.Trouble in ParadiseUnfortunately, our use and enjoyment of the ocean and its resources have come withcosts, and we are only now discovering the full extent of the consequences of our actions.In 2001, 23 percent of the nation’s estuarine areas were considered impaired for swimming,fishing, or supporting marine species. In 2003, there were more than 18,000 daysof closings and advisories at ocean and Great Lakes beaches, most due to the presence ofbacteria associated with fecal contamination. Across the globe, marine toxins afflict morethan 90,000 people annually and are responsible for an estimated 62 percent of all seafoodrelatedillnesses. Harmful algal blooms appear to be occurring more frequently in ourcoastal waters and non-native species are increasingly invading marine ecosystems.Experts estimate that 25 to 30 percent of the world’s major fish stocks are overexploited,and many U.S. fisheries are experiencing serious difficulties. Since the Pilgrims firstarrived at Plymouth Rock, over half of our fresh and saltwater wetlands—more than 110million acres—have been lost.Coastal waters are one of the nation’s greatest assets, yet they are being bombardedwith pollutants from a variety of sources. While progress has been made in reducing pointsources of pollution, nonpoint source pollution has increased and is the primary causeof nutrient enrichment, hypoxia, harmful algal blooms, toxic contamination, and otherproblems that plague coastal waters. Nonpoint source pollution occurs when rainfall andsnowmelt wash pollutants such as fertilizers, pesticides, bacteria, viruses, pet waste, sediments,oil, chemicals, and litter into our rivers and coastal waters. Other pollutants, suchas mercury and some organic chemicals, can be carried vast distances through the atmospherebefore settling into ocean waters.Our failure to properly manage the human activities that affect the nation’s oceans,coasts, and Great Lakes is compromising their ecological integrity, diminishing our abilityto fully realize their potential, costing us jobs and revenue, threatening human health, andputting our future at risk.The Work of the U.S. Commission on Ocean PolicyCongress clearly recognized both the promise of the oceans and the threats to them whenit passed the Oceans Act of 2000, calling for establishment of a Commission on OceanPolicy to establish findings and develop recommendations for a coordinated and comprehensivenational ocean policy. Pursuant to that Act, the President appointed sixteenCommission members drawn from diverse backgrounds, including individuals nominatedby the leadership in the United States Senate and House of Representatives.The Commission held sixteen public meetings around the country and conductedeighteen regional site visits, receiving testimony, both oral and written, from hundredsof people. Overall, the Commission heard from some 447 witnesses, including over 275invited presentations and an additional 172 comments from the public, resulting in nearly1,900 pages of testimony.E XECUTIVE S UMMARY3