The White House Council on Environmental Quality just released a report on interagency Ocean policy that elevates the protection of ocean resources as a national priority. The report outlines steps for an ecosystem-based approach for environmental protection and establishes an ocean council to guide this approach.

President Obama issued a directive in June that created the ocean task force that pulled together this report. The directive also called for a national framework for marine spatial planning by the end of this year.

These moves come in face of increasing pressures on our oceans from development, overfishing, pollution and climate change. The ecosystem-based approach is being hailed by experts as a positive step forward for ocean conservation