Oceans in crisis

It has been 30 years since the United States last conducted a top-to-bottom review of federal ocean policy. That review, the work of the Stratton Commission, was important in that it proved the strength of public opinion regarding ocean protection and stimulated better management practices.

A lot can happen in 30 years, including stagnation, indifference and loss of focus. For that reason alone, the work of the Pew Commission – which visited Maine last week as part of its coast-to-coast-to-coast public hearing endeavor – is long overdue and most welcome.

The 19-member commission, with a powerhouse lineup of policy-makers and scientists, is headed by Leon Panetta, former member of Congress and most recently White House chief of staff under President Clinton. Although, like Stratton, the Pew Commission has no official charge from Congress, the caliber of the panelists and the reputation of the sponsoring foundation should guarantee that its recommendations, due next April, will be an important part of the ocean policy revisions that will result from the Oceans Act of 2000 and the reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act that guides fishing policy.

The Pew Commission has four subcommittees on fishing, pollution, coastal development and governance. The first three are familiar to all and their importance is obvious, but Mr. Panetta correctly observes that the fourth – improving the coordination of federal, state and local regulation and oversight – is where the commission can be of the greatest value.

And, he says, “where the issues may be the toughest. As difficult as the other issues are, at least people know where the problems are. Governance is all about turf and turf is something nobody wants to give up.”

In forums already held in California, Hawaii and South Carolina, and this week in Maine, the commission heard several familiar refrains: The tug of war between regulators, especially federal and state regulators, creates needless and damaging uncertainty for those who earn their living from the sea; the current top-down management regime ignores the real ecological and economic differences that exist along this country’s vast coastlines; the overlapping and entangled regulatory jurisdictions eliminate any hope of accountability.

This long-standing and unsupportable situation makes the commission’s visit to Maine especially important. The state’s new system of lobster management councils, localized management entities governed by fishermen, though still working out some kinks, is unique in the industry and is seen as a model for other fisheries and other states.

“The partnership Maine has created between the state agencies and the fishing industry shows it is possible to build the kind of balanced process that is needed in all areas of ocean policy,” says Mr. Panetta. “It’s not enough to have fishermen, environmentalists, the tourism industry, other business and government all at the same table if, as is often the case now, some of those groups feel they’re not really part of the policy-setting process.”

A common theme of the commission hearings is that the first task is to convince the public that the health of the oceans and of the communities that depend upon them is in crisis. Those who live in those communities need no reminding of the crises of fishery depletion, closures, economic de-cline, pollution, invasive species, overdevelopment and loss of traditional access. They should be encouraged, though, that a panel with the expertise and clout of the Pew Commission does not just see the problems but also recognizes possible solutions.