Environmental Affairs Secretary Charge to the Massachusetts Ocean Management Task Force

At the June 17, 2003 kickoff meeting for the Massachusetts Ocean Management Task Force, Environmental Affairs Secretary Ellen Roy Herzfelder charged the Task Force to:

• Develop principles to guide statewide planning and governance efforts for ocean resources.
• Evaluate the adequacy of existing legal and policy framework governing ocean resource management and make recommendations to enhance our ability to proactively manage ocean resources.
• Evaluate the information base necessary to make ocean management decisions and make recommendations on key scientific, mapping use characterization, and socioeconomic data needs.
• Make recommendations: (1) for an institutional arrangement that ensures ongoing coordination of state and federal management of ocean resources; (2) to ensure that statewide interests are addressed in an equitable manner; and (3) on staff support and oversight needed to develop area-wide ocean management plans.