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from the Secretary Waves of Change: Working to Manage Ocean Resources By Ellen Roy Herzfelder, Secretary of Environmental Affairs This is an exciting and challenging time to be involved in ocean and coastal issues. As the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy and the Pew Ocean Commission have documented through their extensive efforts to develop ocean and coastal policy recommendations for the President and Congress—our marine resources are feeling the effects of human influences more than ever before. The ocean is a source of food and energy, and is a highway for the global economy; it has the potential to produce important new pharmaceuticals and renewable energy; it is a place to experience the wonder of the natural world, a place to play, and a place to be at peace. The ocean is a watery commons, and I believe strongly that it is our responsibility to protect our mutual interest by wisely managing the use, conservation, and protection of its resources for the benefit of all. As a cornerstone of my agenda, the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs has begun a major Ocean Management Initiative to protect marine resources and traditional uses, improve our understanding of the ocean environment, and educate our citizens about the importance of preserving the quality of our ocean resources. This initiative is based on the recommendations of the Massachusetts Ocean Management Task Force, established in 2003 at Governor Romney's direction to: (1) identify information gaps and existing administrative and legislative ocean management tools; (2) recommend principles for a state-wide ocean management framework; (3) recommend administrative and legislative changes to implement ocean management; and (4) initiate ocean management planning procedures. (See the Massachusetts Ocean Management Initiative website at www.mass.gov/czm/oceanmanagement/index.htm.) In response to the most central recommendation of the Task Force, we are working on new legislation that provides the authority to develop an ocean plan that will formally guide agency permitting decisions in our coastal waters. The ocean plan, to be developed in partnership with the public, will characterize the uses and resources of the marine environment, secure the protections of the state's Ocean Sanctuaries Act, and identify use or resource-based performance measures that will provide a planning framework for the application of existing regulations. To support the planning process, I have directed the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) to begin characterizing ocean resources and uses. CZM, with input from other state and federal agencies and the assistance of a consultant, will develop an inventory of existing data, a work plan to collect additional data to fill critical gaps in our knowledge, and, ultimately, a body of GIS-based information that illustrates our marine resources. I have also asked the environmental agencies to develop a public education and outreach program to provide information about the importance of the ocean in our lives, and to learn how the public views the ocean and what issues, concerns, and values should be considered through the Ocean Management Initiative. As this edition of Coastlines illustrates, marine habitats support the vitality of Massachusetts ocean resources—and how we treat them is a fundamental component of the ocean management story. I hope you will join me and participate in the planning process, share your views, and work constructively to develop a management approach that respects all of our individual and collective interests in the array of marine habitats we call the ocean. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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