1998 Year of the Ocean Ocean Living Resources 



The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in its Second Climate Change 

 Assessment concluded that human influences on the earth's climate were already discernible, and 

 that the climate is expected to continue to change in the future in response to human influences 

 (IPCC 1995). IPCC further noted that "Climate change and a rise in sea level or changes in 

 storms or storm patterns could result in the erosion of shores and associated habitat, increased 

 salinity of estuaries and freshwater aquifers, altered tidal ranges in rivers and bays, changes in 

 sediments and nutrient transport, a change in patterns of chemical and microbial contamination in 

 coastal areas, and increased coastal flooding. Some coastal ecosystems are particularly at risk, 

 including saltwater marshes, mangrove ecosystems, coastal wetlands, coral reefs, coral atolls, 

 and river deltas. Changes in these ecosystems would have major negative effects on tourism, 

 freshwater supplies, fisheries and biodiversity. Such impacts would add to the modifications in 

 the functioning of coastal ocean and inland waters that already have resulted from pollution, 

 physical modification and material inputs due to human activities." 



Summary 



Through research and from the hard lessons of experience, it is now acknowledged that 

 the ocean is not limitless. It cannot confinue to absorb all the garbage, chemical spills, and other 

 wastes from human activities, nor can it maintain its productivity in the face of ever increasing 

 harvests of its marine life. It no longer is acceptable to act from the assumption that all is well 

 until proven otherwise, or unfil the ocean itself offers proof in declining catches, diminished 

 productivity, or lingering contamination. The primary threats to marine biodiversity are fisheries 

 operations, chemical pollution and eutrophication, physical alteration of marine habitats, and 

 invasions of exotic species. Looming on the horizon is the threat of human-caused climate 

 change and its potential to aggravate existing problems. 



THE U.S. STRATEGY FOR ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE 

 LIVING MARINE RESOURCES 



The past decade has seen two ftindamental changes in the processes for making decisions 

 about living marine resources: first, adoption of the precautionary, risk averse approach, and 

 second, the new inclusiveness and opermess of resource management decision making. In 

 addition to these underlying process changes, the information base has been increased, new 

 technologies have been applied, and a new way of looking at marine wildlife has been 

 adopted — as ecosystems as opposed to single species. 



Using these approaches, the U.S. government, in partnership with public and private 

 stakeholders, is taking action to address the threats to living marine resources and to ensure the 

 productivity and promise of these resources for future generations. In particular, the United 

 States is investing in improved science; taking action to eliminate overfishing; promoting 

 environmentally sustainable approaches to marine aquaculture; ensuring the health of protected 

 marine species; and improving planning and management in coastal and marine environments. 



C-22 



