Joshua Reichert, managing director of the Pew Environment Group, issued the following statement in response to a significant new direction in ocean management announced by President Barack Obama today.
"Today the President took a major step forward to protect the nation's ocean resources and environment. It is now widely recognized that the health of the oceans is in decline from a variety of uses and abuses. We have long had the need for a more comprehensive way to manage our ocean resources that takes into account the marine system as a whole, rather than focusing simply on its individual parts. With today's announcement, we finally have the political leadership to make this long-sought goal a reality.
"Six years ago, the Pew Oceans Commission recommended a national ocean policy as critical to maintaining and sustaining America's marine environment. Today, the President has seized the opportunity not just to change the way we manage marine resources, but to transform our society's perspective about the sea from one of simple exploitation to that of careful, science-based stewardship of this critically important economic and environmental resource."