Ocean Zone News Blog

Thursday, 22 April 2010 10:45

THE Marine Protected Areas (MPA)
Coalition has attracted support from every part of the UK and beyond.

In the four weeks since its launch in Westminster, fishermen and fishing businesses from Shetland to Cornwall have registered their support and made substantial contributions to the Coalition’s fighting fund.

The latest body to join is the newly formed Dutch Demersal Fishermen’s Association (VisNed) whose members are concerned about the impact of marine protected areas on the operation of their vessels in UK waters.

Jane Lubchenco was named administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in early 2009, the top political job in the country on ocean issues. She is using everything she has learned from her many days on the sea as a scientist and activist to try and shape a national ocean policy. Can politics really make a difference? An excerpt from our new book, companion to the DisneyNature release, “Oceans, The Threats to Our Seas and What You Can Do To Turn the Tide.”

01:00 AM EDT on Friday, April 9, 2010

By GROVER FUGATE

In early 1983, Rhode Island became a national leader when it adopted a comprehensive management plan for its coastal waters. Now the Ocean State is once again leading the way.

Rhode Island is on the cutting edge of managing offshore waters. As part of that effort it could well have the nation’s first utility-scale offshore renewable energy from wind turbines.

The project putting the state in the spotlight is the Ocean Special Area Management Plan (Ocean SAMP). This is a two-year comprehensive research and planning process to promote development and protection of Rhode Island ocean-based resources.

There are quit a few topics that the staff of the Consortium for Ocean Leadership have been concentrating on, which we feel are of interest to the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS). Two weeks ago, Ocean Leadership held its Annual Public Policy Forum on Capital Hill, which was attended by over 200 people, including three United States Senators, Whitehouse (D-RI), Begich (D-AK) and Boxer (D-CA). Panel topics included Sea Level Rise, the Arctic System and Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning. All of the presentations are available on the Ocean Leadership web site at http://www.oceanleadership.org/ocean-policy-legislation/public-policyforum/2010-public-policy-forum/presentations/.

Written on April 9, 2010 by admin in Nature, Travel0 Comments – Leave a comment!

The Ted Oceans’ Mission Blue conference in the Galapagos is under full swing, and there are some big concepts being discussed among the attendees and speakers. The mission of the conference is to try to further Sylvia Earl’s TED wish of expanding our marine protected areas. But that requires all eyes on the oceans, and when we focus our attention… Read the full story on TreeHugger