Pew Oceans Commission

The Pew Oceans Commission, a bipartisan, independent group of American leaders, was created to chart a new course for the nation's ocean policy. Our mission is to identify policies and practices necessary to restore and protect living marine resources in U.S. waters and the ocean and coastal habitats on which they depend. The Commission was also charged with raising public awareness of the principal threats to marine biodiversity and of the importance of ocean and coastal resources to the U.S. economy. The Commission brought together a diverse group of American leaders from the worlds of science, fishing, conservation, government, education, business, and philanthropy. It secured the help of leading scientists to determine priority issues and to write reports summarizing the best scientific information available on those subjects (see list of publications on page 136). The Commission organized into four committees to review the core issues of governance, fishing, pollution, and coastal development. It also investigated marine aquaculture, invasive species, ocean zoning, climate change, science, and education. For more than two years, the Commission conducted a national dialogue on ocean issues. We convened a series of 15 regional meetings, public hearings, and workshops to listen to those who live and work along the coasts. From Maine to Hawaii, Alaska to the Gulf of Mexico, we spoke with hundreds of citizens, fishermen, scientists, government officials, tourism operators, and business leaders. Commissioners held a series of 12 focus groups with fishermen, including one in Kodiak, Alaska, which is among the nation's oldest and largest fishing communities. Believing that experience is the best teacher, Commissioners went lobster fishing in Maine, toured a pineapple plantation in Hawaii to learn about ways to control polluted runoff, and visited coastal habitat restoration projects in New York and South Carolina. By speaking with those who live and work along the coasts and around the country, and by collecting the best scientific information available, the Commission learned a great deal about the problems facing our oceans, the consequences to coastal communities and the nation if we fail to act, and actions needed to overcome the crisis facing our oceans. The status quo is unacceptable. Future generations will judge this generation on whether it shoulders its responsibility.