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

Because contaminants can travel long distances through the atmosphere and be depositedfar from their origin, EPA and states should also develop and implement regional andnational strategies for controlling this source of water pollution, building upon efforts suchas the EPA Air-Water Interface Work Plan. In addition, the United States should participatein a vigorous international research program on the sources and impacts of atmosphericdeposition and play a leadership role in negotiating international solutions.Limiting Vessel Pollution and Improving Vessel SafetyShips carry more than 95 percent of the nation’s overseas cargo, but their operations alsopresent safety, security, and environmental risks. To minimize these risks, the Commissionrecommends that the U.S. Coast Guard work with industry partners and enhance incentiveprograms to encourage voluntary commitments from vessel owners and operators to builda workplace ethic that values safety, security, and environmental protection as centralcomponents of everyday vessel operations. These voluntary measures should be complementedby effective oversight and monitoring, whether conducted by the Coast Guardor third-party audit firms, and backed up by consistent enforcement efforts, includingperformance-based vessel inspections.The United States should also work with other nations, through the InternationalMaritime Organization, to enhance flag state oversight and enforcement. Initiatives shouldinclude expeditious promulgation of a code outlining flag state responsibilities and developmentof a mandatory external audit regime to evaluate flag state performance and identifyareas where additional technical assistance is needed.Control over vessels entering U.S. ports should be improved by ensuring that theCoast Guard has sufficient resources to sustain and strengthen its performance-basedinspection program for marine safety and environmental protection, while also meetingits enhanced security responsibilities. In addition, the Coast Guard should work at theregional and international levels to increase effective coordination and vessel informationsharing among concerned port states.A number of other important vessel-related priorities are discussed in the report,including the need for a uniform national regime to deal with cruise ship waste streamsand reduction of recreational vessel pollution.Preventing the Spread of Invasive SpeciesThe introduction of non-native organisms into ports, coastal areas, and watersheds iscausing harm to marine ecosystems around the world resulting in millions of dollars incosts for monitoring, control, and remediation. The most effective weapon against invasivespecies is prevention. To control the introduction of invasive species through ships’ballast water, a major pathway, the U.S. Coast Guard’s national ballast water managementprogram should: incorporate sound science in the development of biologically meaningful,mandatory, and enforceable ballast water treatment standards; develop new treatmenttechnologies, revising the standards as needed to incorporate these technologies; andallow for full consultation with EPA.To address introduction pathways other than ballast water, such as ships’ hulls,anchors, navigational buoys, drilling platforms, fishing activities, the aquarium trade,aquaculture, and floating marine debris, the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, theInterior, and Homeland Security should more actively monitor and prevent the importationof potentially invasive aquatic species. Because prevention will never be entirely effective,the Commission also recommends the development of a national plan for early detectionof invasive species and a system for prompt notification and rapid response.The National Ocean Council, working with the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Forceand the National Invasive Species Council, should review and streamline the current pro-E XECUTIVE S UMMARY19