**FOREWORD**

The United Nations has declared 1998 as the International Year of the
Ocean. This declaration represents an opportunity to raise public
awareness about the value of the ocean to all Americans, to celebrate
our considerable accomplishments in understanding the ocean, and to
learn from our experiences in managing ocean resources to assure that
our children have a healthy and productive ocean to enjoy.

[The Value of the Ocean to All Americans]{.underline}

All Americans are affected by the ocean (including coastal waters,
estuaries, and the Great Lakes). And we all affect it. The United States
has more than 95,000 miles of coastline and more than 3.4 million square
miles of ocean within its territorial sea. The ocean\'s living resources
provide food on our plates, raw materials for industry, new medicines to
improve health, and unparalleled recreational experiences. Historically,
the ocean has buffered the U.S. from conflicts overseas and foreign
invasion. Our national security and our interests in enhancing global
peace and stability are absolutely dependent on preserving high seas
freedoms of navigation for military and commercial vessels. In 1996
approximately \$590 billion of goods (41 percent of the total value of
United States foreign trade, and a much larger share by weight) were
carried on the ocean and passed through American ports. By comparison,
air and overland transportation accounted for 27 and 31 percent
respectively, by value. U.S. residents ate an average of 15 pounds of
fish and shellfish last year. The ocean is also an important source of
energy - about 18% of our oil and 27% of our natural gas are produced
from the Outer Continental Shelf. Leading-edge anti-inflammatory drugs
and potentially life-saving cancer treatments contain ingredients from
fish and marine organisms. Finally, about 180 million people visit our
coastlines each year, and most Americans spend at least 10 days a year
near a coast. Travel and tourism is the largest and the fastest growing
segment of the U.S. service industry.

The ocean regulates the world's climate. The effects of the ocean on the
atmosphere control our daily weather. This year's El NiZo event has
changed dramatically weather patterns in the US and around the world.
The ocean provides natural services such as carbon storage, atmospheric
gas regulation, nutrient cycling, and waste treatment. Coral reefs,
mangroves, and kelp forests protect coastal areas from storms. Marine
algae contribute nearly 40 percent of global photosynthesis.

The ocean provides many Americans with their livelihood. One out of six
jobs in the U.S. is marine-related and one-third of our GNP is produced
in coastal areas. Today, over half of our population lives and works in
coastal areas adjacent to the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the Gulf of
Mexico, and the Great Lakes. Over the past three decades, coastal
population has grown faster than the population of the country as a
whole. The U.S. coasts are among the most densely populated areas in the
world. By the year 2025, close to 75 percent of our people will live in
coastal areas, the majority in sprawling, interconnected metropolitan
centers. One concern about our burgeoning coastal population is the
increased risk of coastal hazards and hurricanes, which have accounted
for almost \$50 billion in coastal damages over the past decade.

The oceans play an important role in enabling the United States to
project military power, when necessary, to troubled regions of the
world. Freedom of the seas provides U.S. policy-makers with flexible
options in dealing with challenges to international peace and security.

Finally there is a very personal value to the ocean. Often, we are drawn
to the ocean only to stand and stare and listen. The ocean is beautiful
to almost everyone, for reasons each of us understands and none of us
knows. It has inspired some of the world's finest paintings, poetry,
stories, and music.

[Preserving Ocean Resources]{.underline}

Although some progress is evident, signs of trouble in the seas should
continue to concern us. Over-fishing, changes in coastal habitat, and
pollution have combined to impact dramatically living resources in our
marine waters. In both the United States and globally, with few
exceptions, stocks are declining and the majority of fisheries are
thought to be fully or over-utilized. Some species (cod, haddock, and
flounder, for example) have nearly disappeared off the New England
coast. Recent trends in catches, trade, contribution to food supplies,
and overall economic viability of the fishing industry are not
encouraging. As a result of effective conservation practices, a few
marine mammals and sea turtles in U.S. waters appear to be recovering
after years of declining numbers, but habitat loss and human activities
are jeopardizing other species, such as salmon. Less-studied marine
organisms are probably being lost before ever being identified, much
less protected. We continue to lose important habitats such as wetlands,
sea grass beds, and coral reefs. These are more than just environmental
issues. The serious decline of fisheries have sparked confrontations in
the past, and environmental degradation has created situations of
friction, dislocation, and mass migration in various regions of the
world.

Concerns about ocean pollution also are warranted. About 40% of our
estuarine and coastal waters are not fishable or swimmable - primarily
because of excess nutrients and bacteria from agricultural runoff and
municipal wastewater discharges. Although the quality of our shellfish
harvesting waters has improved over the past five years, 30% of these
areas still have some form of harvest restrictions. In 1996 over 2,500
closings and advisories were issued for coastal bathing beaches due to
bacterial contamination. Sediments in coastal areas near industrial
facilities and ports, especially in areas where water circulation is
slow, show elevated concentrations of chemical contamination. Concerns
about dredging contaminated sediments in port areas have delayed the
maintenance of major ports and waterways. Oil contamination, not only
from tankers, but from municipal and industrial operations on the land,
continues to be a problem. Major tanker spills contribute only about
five percent of the oil contaminating the ocean. In fact, at least 75%
of all pollutants that contaminate the ocean are from land-based
sources.

Despite these very real concerns, there is much to be optimistic about
with respect to the future of the ocean. The ocean remains a largely
unexplored frontier that represents a critical source of food, energy,
and other natural resources for the next millennium. Only recently have
the seas yielded their secrets of the deep ocean floor, home to
communities of organisms whose productivity is based on chemosynthesis
instead of photosynthesis. Whole new ecosystems have been discovered
within the last year, some of which might be the basis of new drugs and
medical treatments.

[Opportunities for New Partnerships]{.underline}

Ocean policy is such a large, cross-cutting field that no single agency
of the Federal government, on its own, has the necessary legal
authorities, human and financial resources, and experience to move the
country ahead in ocean science and management. As a result of the
Stratton Commission, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
of the Department of Commerce was formed almost 30 years ago to unify
many ocean-related functions in one agency. At that time other agencies
also expanded their ocean missions. New partnerships among agencies with
responsibilities for ocean issues, such as the Department of
Transportation, the Department of the Interior, the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, the Department of Defense, the Department of State,
the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Department of
Justice, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, are
beginning to show results. For example, experiments in the civil use of
advanced technologies in the military and intelligence communities
promise new insights into environmental problems in coastal areas and
the ocean.

The Federal government, however, cannot do it alone. Renewed cooperation
with our counterparts in state and local governments will be critical in
order to solve problems of coastal pollution, habitat loss, hazards
mitigation, and other areas. Federal agencies have a growing experience
base in working with colleagues in state and local governments through
programs such as the Coastal Zone Management Program and the National
Estuary Program that can serve as models for future cooperation.

Moreover, the Federal government doesn't have all the answers. Federal
agencies, private industry, state and local governments, and academic
institutions are strengthening and improving their cooperative
activities, including the sharing of human resources, experience, data,
equipment, instrument development, and facilities. Nurturing existing
partnerships, such as the National Oceanographic Partnership Program,
can help build support for oceanographic research.

In a time of shrinking budgets, the public sector at all levels will
never have adequate resources to do all that needs to be done.
Investments in coastal and marine areas by the private sector far
outweigh public investments, and the experience base of the private
sector is often untapped in public decision making. Real opportunities
exist to develop public-private partnerships with the insurance industry
to deal with concerns about climate change, with the tourism industry to
deal with the environmental quality of coastal areas, and with the
fishing industry to deal with issues related to essential fish habitat.

Finally, the United States cannot move the country ahead in ocean
science and management in isolation. The ocean and its resources are
inherently international. Even within our own waters, the health of the
fish we eat and the waters in which we swim are affected by activities
in other countries. The elements of effective management \-- public
participation, scientifically-sound decision making, governmental
coordination and integration, the need for creative financing for
programs \-- are similar in all nations. The threats to ocean ecosystems
\-- over-fishing, destruction of habitat, nutrient and toxic pollutants,
non-indigenous species, and pathogens \-- are also global.

Although we should celebrate recent improvements of marine environments
in the U.S., it is important to remember that coastal areas in the
developing world are under severe pressures that few nations are
equipped to manage. U.S. international development programs, in
partnership with non-governmental organizations, universities, and the
private sector, work with foreign governments, community groups, and
international institutions to build local capacity to protect and use
marine resources more sustainably. Principles that were established
first in the U.S. are being adapted for use in Latin America, the
Caribbean, Southeast Asia, East Africa, and the Middle East. As a
nation, we can also learn through our attempts to help others deal with
similar problems. Building capacity for sustainable management on
distant shores will enhance our own efforts.

[Current Developments]{.underline}

The ocean has already begun to receive new attention in other countries,
the academic community, and the Congress. One of the Administration's
highest priorities this year is accession to the Law of the Sea (LOS)
Convention. The LOS Convention restrains excessive maritime claims and
codifies key legal provisions in the areas of navigational freedoms,
ownership of non-living resources, environment, fisheries, and public
vessel sovereign immunity in a way that balances the vital interests of
maritime and coastal states.

In May 1998, Lisbon, Portugal, will open EXPO98, an international
world's fair focusing on the importance of the ocean in our lives. This
event will be an opportunity to raise public awareness world-wide since
over 20 million people are expected to attend. The ocean will also be a
key issue at the 1998 G-8 Environmental Ministerial meeting that will be
held in April, 1998, in the United Kingdom.

In recent years, many reports have concluded that domestic ocean
management in the United States is fragmented. Most recently, a report
entitled [Striking a Balance: Improving Stewardship of Marine
Areas]{.underline}, authored by the Marine Board of the National
Research Council, concluded that our existing domestic management system
is characterized by a confusing array of laws, regulations, and
practices at the federal, state, and local levels. Further, it concluded
that the various agencies that implement and enforce existing legal
regimes operate with mandates that often conflict with each other, and
that no mechanism exists for establishing a common vision and set of
objectives. To begin correcting this situation, the Marine Board
recommended the creation of a "National Marine Council" to define
national objectives and improve coordination among federal and state
agencies and other interested parties in the private sector. It also
considered whether a domestic ocean management regime would be an
effective structure for planning and decision-making, since most ocean
management issues cross state boundaries. Congress is considering
legislation this year to develop and maintain a coordinated,
comprehensive, and long-range national policy with respect to domestic
ocean and coastal activities.

The Federal agencies with ocean-related programs have been planning
activities for the Year of the Ocean. In addition, these agencies have
prepared the following set of discussion papers on a variety of themes
and cross-cutting issues. They discuss what is working well and what is
not in ocean resource management, and identify needs and opportunities
for the future. They are intended to provide some of the background
information needed to enable both the public and private sectors to work
together to promote the conservation, exploration, and sustainable use
of the ocean.